Cowboy Star Fox
by Wolf-ODonnell
Summary: Set mainly a year after Star Fox Adventures. The reunited Star Fox Team become bounty hunters, AKA Cowboys, hunting down criminal scum and claiming huge rewards for their capture.
1. Episode 01: See you, Space Cowboy

Cowboy Star Fox 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

Author's Note: Star Fox and all related characters (including me) are copyrighted by Nintendo. Scales, Dinosaur Planet and all related characters are copyrighted by Rare. The Gospel Army, Dr. Jerome Kano, the Sekai Foundation and all related characters and places are copyrighted by me. Upon reading any word in this file, you hereby agree to forfeit all your rights to sue me and that I cannot be held liable for any psychological or physical damage caused by the fact that this fanfic contains swearing, violence and the use of British-English Spelling and Grammar.

* * * * *

Episode 1: See you, Space Cowboy  
    The stars twinkled in the dark, cloudless night sky like diamonds in thick, lush velvet. And on the ground, the lights of the cities attempted to mirror the stars above, shining as brightly as those in the heavens, in some vain attempt to prove their worth. All was darkness, save for these points of lights, havens from the encroaching shadows that threatened to engulf all that got in their way. All was silence even in the cities of the ground and the cities of stars in space.  
    There was a sudden, powerful explosion. It broke the silence on the ground, sending shards of glass scattering on to the ground like fresh, fallen snow. Smoke poured from the city and snaked upwards like a demonic apparition in an attempt to tear down the Gates of Heaven. The city and the sky was tinged blood red with the glow of the flames that burnt like Hellfire.  
    Welcome to the Headquarters of the Lylat Crime Syndicate, the most powerful criminal organisation in the Lylat System. Here, none were innocent and all were guilty of something or another. No one is innocenent.  
    One, however, was far more innocent than the others. He ran through the corridors of the besieged building, gun in hand. Lasers were sprayed at him and the floor seemed to explode behind him, as he ran. The humanoid blue-feathered avian turned his gun sideways and fired at those behind him. There was a clicking noise. No more lasers flew from his gun. He turned and dived round a corner.  
    His chest was heaving, as he dislodged the battery cartridge from the laser gun and brought out another, which he slid in quickly. Those brown eyes of his showed courage and determination. After all, he had nothing to fear. He was the one that was besieging the tower.  
    Two monkeys dressed in black suits ran round the corner to find it empty. They looked at each other curiously, wondering where the avian had went, before they ran forwards and triggered the mine that the avian had left behind. Neither saw or felt anything else, apart from the searing flames of the explosion that tore through the corridor and blew out more of the building's windows.  


    Some levels above this turmoil, more anthropomorphic animals ran. They too wore suits and black ray bans over their eyes. They were after all, from the very same crime syndicate. The skyscraper was their headquarters and this avian was practically committing suicide, yet the blue-feathered attacker wouldn't die.  
    A chime came from the elevator, as the light above it lit up. The doors slid open and the syndicate thugs opened fire, spraying the elevator car with laserfire. There seemed no one there, but they were sure that they had been told that the avian had taken the elevator. A grenade suddenly rolled out.  
    An explosion tore through the corridor, blowing the glass out of the windows.  
    The avian rushed out of the elevator with a gun in each hand, wary of his surroundings him, as he looked around him, pointing them in both directions, as he looked around him. The corridor was empty save for the dead bodies and the rubble that lay all over the place. He could see his goal not too far away in the smouldering remnants of the corridor that led to the main office of the Syndicate's Leader. The avian ran across the corridor and barged through the door and emerged into the office.  
    The place was a sprawling hall equivalent to the atrium of a Roman villa, with marble columns and a marble floor. On one side was a wall of windows. Opposite the blue-feathered male were a small flight of marble stairs that led up to a large, ebony desk that stood in front of a large velvet banner that displayed the Lylat Syndicate's logo.  
    "Powalski!" shouted the avian, as he stalked across the red carpet towards the desk at which a suited, chameleon sat.  
    A smile slowly split Powalski's scaly lips, as he rose from his seat. He was very lean and a cruel expression adorned his face.  
"Falco, I knew you'd arrive sooner or later," he chuckled, as he spread his arms wide as if to greet the avian. "How do you like my latest promotion?"  
    "Self-promotion, you mean," spat the avian angrily. He hated the chameleon. Ever since the days of the Lylat Wars, they had been rivals and this time was no different. "I can never forgive you, you treacherous bastard!" he shouted at the chameleon. "You'd do anything to get to the top, wouldn't you?" Falco thought bitterly to when Leon had betrayed Corneria and went over to Andross. "My best friend died because of you," he growled angrily.  
    Leon laughed at the avian, Falco Lombardi, a former member of the Star Fox Team.  
"That was ages ago, Falco," he told the fox. "Why, I think that was thirteen years ago, wasn't it? Five years before the Lylat War." He smiled at his long time rival. "So your best friend died. Big deal. Get over it! Things change."  
    "But do you know what I really can't forgive you for?" continued Falco, as he glared angrily at the chameleon. Never had he hated someone so much as Leon . Never had he really truly hated someone so much. "You've made our lives a living Hell ever since the end of the Lylat War, with your damned Syndicate. Now it's your turn to go to Hell," he said, as he raised his gun and aimed it at Powalski.  
    A sneer spread across Leon's scaly lips, as he sat there in his seat. It was one of those evil sneers that could only be pulled off with years of practice. Years of working in the Venom Empire for Andross and then years of working in the Lylat Crime Syndicate had helped him refine that sneer that had chilled many a soul before.  
"I'm not going to die today, Lombardi," he told the blue-feathered avian. "However, say hello to your friend for me."  
    Out of the corner of Falco's eye, he could see them. In the alcoves were more of Powalski's henchmen and they were all armed. Lasers flew through the air and Falco dived to the ground. He rolled and aimed. He fired and blew a hole clean through one Syndicate thug's head.  
    "Why couldn't you be like the others?" asked Leon, as he pulled out a drawer and reached for a gun. "They were smart. They didn't fight against the Syndicate. They turned a blind eye. Why did you go and oppose us?" His hand gripped on to the handle of the gun and its feel comforted him. "Can't you see we rule this place now? Pepper and his cronies are nothing compared to us!"  
    Falco dived for cover behind a marble pillar, just doding a few lasers that chipped away at the pillar. His breath was shallow, as he gripped his gun even more tightly. His keen sense of hearing, refined through hours of practice during the War, detected a sound. He turned round quickly and fired, killing another of Powalski's men, but not before a laser hit him in the shoulder, causing a tiny spurt of blood to splatter on his trenchcoat and onto the marble floor. Falco delved into his trenchcoat pocket and he smiled.  
    "You're not leaving here alive, Falco!" laughed Leon, as he motioned for all his men to rush the avian.  
    "I'm not intending to leave here alive," shouted back Falco. "I'm here to take you down!" He fished out a grenade and pulled the pin out with his teeth. The avian whirled out from the cover of the pillar and lobbed the weapon straight at the thugs. He aimed and then fired, before diving to the ground.  
    An explosion tore ripped through the air. The three remaining thugs had shocked looks on their faces. How was it possible for one bird to wipe out so many of their colleagues?  
    "What are you waiting for, you idiots?" shrieked Leon furiously. "Kill him!"  
    Falco quickly aimed and fired. He caught one thug in the shoulder, but they fired back. He ran for it and the floor behind him exploded into chunks of small rubble, as the laserfire trailed after him. As he ran, he aimed as best as he could and fired one shot after another. One hit the head of a bulldog. The other hit the chest of a fox. The reptile dived out of the way. A few more shots and Falco was the only one left standing.  
    The avian rose back to his feet. There was a stern look on his face.  
"Now, it's your turn," he said between gasps for breath, as he raised his arm and aimed his gun at the chameleon. His vision blurred momentarily and his arm weakened. He pulled the trigger and the laser missed.  
    Leon was incredibly quick. He rushed out of the way and aimed his gun. He fired.  
    A laser caught Falco in shoulder where he had received a previous wound only mere moments ago. The avian cried out in pain, but he didn't let it cloud his judgement. He fired back, as he leapt out of the way of Powalski's line of fire. None of his shots hit the chameleon. Another laser hit him on the leg on the same side of his body. That was okay. He only came for revenge. He had no intention of leaving.  
    The grin on Leon's face was like that of a maniac. The sight of pain on Falco's face brought him great pleasure. Why shouldn't it? He had spent many years as a torturer when he served the Venom Empire.  
"You should never have come against me, Falco," said Leon smugly, riding high on his twisted sense of honour and justice. "Now, you'll die here."  
    A memory came back to Falco, as he heard the conceited chameleon talk. It was of that time long back, when he had been captured and taken to a Venomian Prison. He could remember being tortured by Leon. The chameleon had said those exact same words to him back then.  
"I should have never listened to Fox," said Falco, as he thought of that memory. "I should have killed you when I had the chance!" He leapt to his feet and fired at Powalski; he missed. "Shit!" he cursed, as he turned his head to follow where Leon had went.  
    It was true that Falco had seen better days. He was bruised and battered. The avian was covered in cuts and laser wounds, some of which didn't look as if they would ever heal. Blood dribbled down from a cut on his forehead and over his left eye. It matted his feathers. It covered his clothes. Falco Lombardi, the avian that had helped the Star Fox Team fight against Andross during the Lylat War, was on his last legs and it looked as if he wouldn't make it.  
    Revenge and hatred were the only things keeping him alive. All he could remember were the times when he fought against Leon. He could remember the end of the war, when the Alliance Military were rounding up prisoners; that was when he had the chance to kill Leon. That was when he had the chance to rid the Universe of this scaly scourge, but Fox had stopped him, saying that it wasn't right. Well, this time he would carry out Leon's execution. He would not let someone else's conscience get in the way.  
    Another laser flew through the air, but this time Falco dodged it skilfully. He turned his gun and fired. This time, he managed to catch Leon in the shoulder. The sight of Leon's blood incensed him. He pulled on the trigger again and again, in an attempt to finally kill the monstrous chameleon. The loss of blood he was suffering was slowing down his reactions. That explained his lack of co-ordination. His shots were missing and Leon was weaving in and out between them, running straight up to the blue-feathered avian.  
    With a roar of rage, Leon flung a punch at Falco. His fist connected with Falco's hard beak and the avian was suddenly flung backwards. He caught sight of Falco's gun and quickly lunged out with his free hand, grabbing Falco's wrist and preventing the gun from pointing towards him. He held the arm back, keeping the gun's muzzle pointed at the ceiling.  
"Why won't you die?" asked Powalski with an angry snarl on his face.  
    Falco pulled the trigger and fired a few shots into the air. He leaned forward quickly and headbutted Leon in the head. A smile spread across his muzzle, as he saw Powalski stagger back. The blue-feathered avian rushed at Leon and shouldered into the scaly reptile, knocking him over. The two went crashing to the ground and their guns crashed to the floor.  
    "Get off of me!" screamed Leon, as he punched Falco in the head. He kicked the blue-feathered avian off of himself and then lunged for the gun.  
    A well-aimed shot blew the gun away from Leon's hand. He turned and raised his head, to see Falco standing over him with a gun aimed at him.  
"So, this is how it'll end, huh?" said Leon with a smirk, as he closed his eyes. "Go ahead, finish me off, Lombardi."  
    For a moment, the Falco was tempted to do just that. He could still remember what the monstrous traitor had done. Rage blinded him. Revenge seemed the only answer for him, the only thing that would put his soul at ease.  
"Yeah, I should put you out of your misery," he mused calmly. "Though, I'm thinking you'd probably like that. No, prison would suit you much better."  
    Leon's eyes opened. What Falco had said incensed him. He glared at the avian angrily and then his pupils dilated in disbelief.  
"Pigma?" he exclaimed in surprise and then a gunshot echoed all around the large office. Time seemed to stand still for Leon Powalski, as he waited for the inevitable. It seemed as if some deity was playing a cruel trick on him, stretching out time into an agonisingly long eternity of waiting for the one thing he feared the most, death.  
    "What the fuck...?" exclaimed Falco in surprise, as a laser struck the chameleon and splattered Leon's blood against his shirt. He had not pulled the trigger. The avian whirled round and saw Pigma standing not too far away. "You?"  
    A smug smirk spread across Pigma's face, as he stood there.  
"It's nice to see you again, Lombardi," he chuckled. He leaned over and flicked a switch on the wall. Before the avian could even react, a door in the wall slid open and he disappeared through it.  
    "Come back here!" shouted Falco, before he ran down the corridor after the porcine. He couldn't understand it. Why had Pigma killed a former team mate? How was the fat pig running so fast? Why was he even there in the first place? So many questions filled his mind, one of which was where the light switch was. "Ow, shit!" he cursed angrily, as he stubbed his foot against something within the dark confines of the corridor. A step?  
    Gingerly, Falco felt the steps with his foot. They were leading upwards. Was Pigma heading towards the roof of the ruined Syndicate building? Knowing that cowardly back-stabbing traitor, Pigma was probably trying to escape. He placed a feathered-wing against the wall, feeling his way up the winding staircase of the tower. Falco stopped in his tracks. He could hear footsteps. Someone was coming his way.  
    The corridor was suddenly lit up with light. Falco clenched his fist tightly and readied himself, as he ran up the stairs. He flung a punch upwards and his feathered fist connected with the chin of another of Powalski's men. The second suddenly opened fire. Falco ducked back down the stairs, the lasers chiselling away at the concrete wall behind him. He lifted his gun and readied himself for when they would come round the corner.  
    The blue-feathered avian waited. He heard footsteps and in his mind, he could picture how many there were. In his mind, Falco could tell exactly where they were. He waited for the right time to strike. With lightning quick reflexes, he rushed out and hit one of the Syndicate thugs with his gun. The second he punched in the stomach and then he flung the second thug down the stairs into the first and they both fell down together.  
    Falco ran up the steps as fast as he could. He knew if he didn't catch up with Pigma, the porcine would get away. Whatever Pigma's reasons for killing Leon, he knew he had to find him. Falco realised that Dengar was obviously up to something. He soon emerged from the staircase and out on to the roof.  
"Pigma!" he exclaimed.  
    An old Wolfen Jet, painted in Syndicate colours, was on the roof. It was taking off vertically and in its cockpit was none other than Pigma. The porcine looked through the side of the cockpit and caught sight of Falco. A sneer spread across his fat lips, as the Wolfen Jet rose up into the air.  
    "Crap!" exclaimed Falco angrily, as he saw the jet take off. "You're not getting away that easily, Pigma!" He raised his gun and opened fire on the jet, but the lower-powered lasers did nothing against the hull of the jet.  
    As soon as the Wolfen Jet was high enough into the air, it turned round and turned to face one of the largest constellations in the Cornerian sky. The jet boosters roared into life and the Wolfen took off, leaving the roof behind.

* * * * *

    "And you say McCloud managed to kill the prototype, Drakor?" asked the first voice.  
    "That's right, sir."  
    "Where is he now?"  
    "Heading towards Krazoa Palace, General."  
    "Well, that doesn't matter then," chuckled the first voice. "Scales will deal with that miserable fox."  
    "Sir, I've also received news from Chairman Dengar. It seems that Mr. Powalski has been killed."  
    "Leon?" exclaimed the first voice. An angry growl then echoed around the subordinate. "So the Syndicate is now without a Leader?"  
    "It would seem that way, sir," was the reply.  
    "Tell Dengar that he is now in charge and get him to kill whoever assassinated Powalski."  
    "Yes, sir."

**_To be continued..._**


	2. Episode 02: Gotta Knock a Little Harder

Cowboy Star Fox 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

Author's Note: Star Fox and all related characters (including me) are copyrighted by Nintendo. Scales, Dinosaur Planet and all related characters are copyrighted by Rare. The Gospel Army, Dr. Jerome Kano, the Sekai Foundation and all related characters and places are copyrighted by me. Upon reading any word in this file, you hereby agree to forfeit all your rights to sue me and that I cannot be held liable for any psychological or physical damage caused by the fact that this fanfic contains swearing, violence and the use of British-English Spelling and Grammar.

* * * * *

Episode 2: Gotta Knock a Little Harder  
    Large, billowing dark clouds covered the sky. The rain fell down from the heavens like guided bombs, soaking everything, attacking the large stone palace that stood at the highest point on the Planet. Raindrops fell on the stone roof, it fell on the bastions, the stone balustrades and the gigantic statues of vaguely humanoid, yet alien creatures, slowly dribbling down their cheeks as if the statues themselves were shedding tears. A flash of lightning arced through the sky like a jagged arm of electricity reaching down to the ground below, as the wind howled in chorus with the clap of thunder.  
    At one end of the roof was a large statue. It was larger than the other statues but was of the same strange alien creature. On its forehead was a gem that glowed in an eerie green light that matched the glow of its eyes, eyes that looked towards a dais in the centre of the stone roof. Glowing blue and purple figures circled a translucent, purple crystal that was suspended over a spinning crown of in-turned spikes. Around this crystal were two large electrodes that were shaped like the needles of an old record player, each one spinning round the crystal as they were scanning it.  
    One lone fox approached the dais. He did not care about the rain that drenched his fur and his clothes. He cared only for what was inside the crystal. The vulpine looked up at the crystal and saw the blue-furred vixen within it. All his work so far had come to this, come to this final act, of delivering the final Krazoa Spirit to the dais and presenting them before the large Krazoa statue.  
    It felt like a sacrifice to him, some ritual sacrifice before an ancient gigantic stone god. He looked at either end of the circular dais and at the ramps that led up to it. No one was there. The vulpine, Fox McCloud, walked slowly to the side of the dais where a pewter Krazoa head faced him, sticking out of a veritcally placed pool of a strange, clear liquid. He walked up to the circular platform in front of the Krazoa head and stood in front of it.  
    His breath became ragged, as a searing pain wracked his entire body. The fox's eyes were screwed shut with intense pain, as he collapsed to his knees. Never before had he experienced such pain, not even when he had been tortured on the Planet Venom. He spread his arms and let the Krazoa Spirit out of his body. It was blue and purple, like the others that orbited the crystal above him like electrons around an atom's nucleus.  
    Fox McCloud collapsed to his hands and knees, as the Krazoa Spirit entered the head and was suddenly ejected out from the hole in the circular dais over which the crystal was suspended. It joined the others. Slowly, Fox got back up to his feet and looked up. Something was amiss.  
    This wasn't right. He could still see the blue-furred fox within the crystal. Why was she not free? The Krazoa Spirits had made a promise. They promised that she would be free.  
"No!" he cried, as he ran towards the ramp that led up to the dais. "What's going on? You said this would save her!" Fox ran as fast as he could.  
    The spirits were whispering something, as they circled the blue-furred fox more quickly. Within the crystal, she stirred. Her eyes opened. One of the spirits turned and crashed into the crystal, piercing it and entering her body. The others followed suit, as the blue-furred vixen began to stir. There was a burst of light and then the six Krazoa Spirits shot out from the vixen's body, curving towards the statue of the Krazoa God and closing in on it like the fingers of a hand closing around a falling ball in order to catch it.  
    Fox couldn't care less about the Krazoa Spirits and Dinosaur Planet. His thoughts were to the blue-furred vixen. He could see the machinery around the crystal began to shudder. There was an explosion and the crystal shattered. The vixen fell. The vixen screamed. Fox reached for the metallic staff and took it from his backpack. He held out it quickly and the vixen caught it. With all his strength, he pulled back and helped the vixen back onto solid ground.  
    The head of the Krazoa God began to shudder. There was a loud cracking noise as the neck of the statue broke off and the head floated off the stone shoulders.  
"I am reborn!" cackled a loud voice that seemed to echo all around them. The voice seemed familiar to Fox. It was the same voice that had spoken to General Scales within the last Krazoa Shrine. "The mighty Krazoa God!" The voice laughed. The stone head floated over towards the dias and the glowing eyes of the statue glared at the two foxes. "Kneel all those that stand before me!"  
    "We will never kneel to the likes of you!" shouted the blue-furred vixen. She noticed something in the rucksack that the fox in front of her wore. It was her staff! "Give me that!" she barked at Fox, before grabbing the thing off of him.  
    "Hey!" protested Fox at her insistence. "Huh. Well this is the thanks I get for saving you. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't even be here now."  
    The vixen didn't hear, as she held her staff  
"My staff," she murmured under her breath. A smile spread across her muzzle, as she extended it. "You're back." She aimed it up at the large stone head of the Krazoa God and fired, one magical blast after another. It didn't seem to have much affect, but she continued to fire at it.  
    Fox could clearly see that the poxy little staff was no match against this Krazoa God. He ran down the ramp and straight towards his ship, pressing a few buttons on his watch. The hatch opened and he leapt straight into it, fastening the seat belt securely around him as the hatch closed again. He fired the Arwing's boosters underneath and the jet slowly took off into the air.  
    He pulled up on the control stick, as he fired the jet boosters and flew straight towards the strange whirlpool of energy that the Krazoa God had made. He flew the Arwing through it and suddenly found the force of the vortex was having some affect on his ship.  
"Shit!" he cursed, as his Arwing suddenly pulled into a barrel-roll without warning. He wrestled with the control stick, trying to right his Arwing. "What the fuck is going on here?"  
    The Arwing was shuddering violently and he felt as if it was being sucked through the vortex. He heard the metal of the Arwing strain and groan under the pressure. It was as if the ship was being pulled apart.  
    "No, I just had this thing serviced!" cried Fox angrily, as he fired the retro boosters. Suddenly, the white energy that formed the vortex disappeared. He emerged out into empty, black space. Ahead of him, he saw the gigantic head of the Krazoa God. It spun round and two, furry and black clawed hands slid off of the back of the head to reveal another face. It had grey fur arranged into a long beard and a messy head of hair. "Andross?" exclaimed Fox in surprise.  
    An evil grin spread across Andross's smug face.  
"I have been waiting for this day, Fox McCloud," he chuckled, "the day when I can finally end the bloodline of the McCloud family! And now, to destroy the Lylat System!" He covered his face with his hands and then spun round again to expose the Krazoa face.  
    "No, I've got to stop him!" exclaimed Fox, before he started firing at the Krazoa Head. If he let Andross get his way, he would never see his friends again. No, he would not give up. That was not the McCloud's way. He would finish the job, for his father. "Dad, I'll destroy Andross once and for all," he promised his father. "For you and for all you've done for me." He thought of his father and mysteriously, his thoughts turned to when he was flying out of Andross's bunker. Fox was sure that he had seen and heard his father down there.  
    "That was not your father," laughed Andross through telepathy, such that his words became Fox's thoughts. "That was my spirit, disguised as your father, James McCloud!" His laughter echoed in Fox's mind, making it harder for him to target the Krazoa face's eyes. "I was the one that guided you out of the bunker, because I knew you would help me be reborn as the Krazoa God!"  
    Fox began to growl angrily.  
"I've had enough of you, Andross!" he screamed, as he pulled the trigger and let rip with a barrage of lasers that seared through the Krazoa face's eyes and the gem on its forehead. He heard a scream of pain and that brought a smile to his vulpine muzzle.  
    The Krazoa face turned round and Andross's hands slid away from his true face.  
"I'll crush you like the misersable worm you are," cried Andross, before he swung a hand straight at Fox.  
    "You're too predictable, Andross," Fox told the mad monkey, as he opened fire on the palms of Andross's hands. He done this before back on Venom and it seemed that Andross hadn't changed much. He was still as mad as ever. One hand suddenly disappeared in a fiery ball of flames. He pushed forward on the control stick and dived underneath Andross's other hand.  
    He pulled back on the control stick, as the hand pulled back. Fox let rip with a barrage of lasers, each one searing into Andross's hand with a vengeance. Fox would not let Andross get away this time. He would destroy the mad monkey once and for all.  
    Andross cried out in pain, as his second hand was destroyed. He whirled round, much to Fox's surprise and the vulpine suddenly saw that the eyes and gem on the Krazoa face had regenerated. Andross laughed, as he opened the mouth of his Krazoa face and pulled back, before emitting a beam of ringed energy straight at Fox's Arwing.  
    Fox was getting pretty sick and tired of Andross's predictable routines. He flew his Arwing around the beam of energy and opened fire on the Krazoa face, tearing it apart with laserfire in a matter of seconds. When Andross spun round, he was surprised to see that the mad monkey had regenerated his hands.  
"This can't be happening!" exclaimed Fox in surprise, as he saw Andross hold out the palm of his right hand. Rings of energy shot out of the palm of his hand and hurtled straight towards Fox's Arwing. "You won't get rid of me that easily, Andross!"  
    The Arwing banked sideways and then rolled around the rings of energy, trying not to get caught in their path. Fox tried his best to destroy the hands with laserfire, but the beams that Andross were firing made it difficult. He saw Andross lower his right hand and then aim his left hand straight at him.  
    It swept through the vacuum towards him. Fox pulled up on the control stick and flew over the gigantic hand.  
"You're still no threat, Andross," he taunted the mad monkey. He saw the left hand fire more energy beams at him. He flew around these with ease.  
    "Insolent fool, I shall crush your miserable body!" roared Andross, as he swung his hands together. He missed. Andross roared in a bestial manner, before opening his mouth and drawing Fox closer towards him.  
    Fox banked the Arwing to the left and fired the retro boosters in order to keep as far away from the mad monkey as possible.  
"You're doing no such thing, Andross!" he shouted at his opponent. The suction stopped and Fox found himself drifting away from Andross, as the mad monkey raised his right hand. "That tired old trick again, huh?" he exclaimed. "Well, I don't mind!" He pulled the trigger and opened fire, letting the lasers smash into the palm of Andross's disembodied hand.  
    Andross roared out in pain, as his right hand was totalled. He raised his left hand and fired a steady stream of energy rings at Fox's Arwing.  
"Fry, McCloud!" he screamed.  
    A smirk spread across Fox's face, as he spiralled around the energy rings. His Arwing suddenly shuddered, as one hit the tip of the left wing. The force of it sent him careering out of control. As the Arwing spun round, he could see Andross taking advantage of the opportunity. The gigantic hand swept across and hit the Arwing forcefully. Fox grappled with the control stick and righted his Arwing.  
    "Oh, you're going to pay for that, Andross!" he vowed, before he turned his Arwing and dived down. He pulled up and aimed the Arwing straight at the palm of Andross's hand. "Eat this!" He opened fire and blew the remaining hand to smithereens.  
    "Miserable fox! If I cannot crush you, I'll devour you!" screamed Andross, as he opened his mouth. What happened next defied the laws of physics. He began to suck on Fox, even though there was no air.  
    Fox pulled back on the control stick but to no avail. He was being pulled in ever closer towards Andross's stinky mouth. Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye and before he knew it, a bomb had smashed into Andross's mouth and exploded, making the mad monkey roar out in pain.  
    "Hey, McCloud!" greeted Falco with a smirk on his beak. "Different time, different place and still you need my help."  
    "Hey, Falco!" greeted Fox, a smile rapidly appearing on his muzzle. "Where've you been?"  
    Andross slinked backwards. He couldn't believe it. Where had the other Arwing come from? Well, it didn't matter. He would rend them both to pieces.  
"I'll crush the both of you!" roared Andross angrily. If he still had his hands, he would have shook them in rage. He opened his mouth and spewed out a whole shower of asteroids.  
    Fox pulled on the trigger and let rip with a barrage of lasers, each one tearing through the rocks that hurtled straight at him. He would not let Andross survive this time. He would finish the job.  
"I don't think so, Andross!" cried Fox.  
    Falco watched the fight carefully. He saw Andross open his mouth and he fired another smart bomb. This went straight into the monkey's mouth and exploded. Much to his surprise, Andross's head disappeared to reveal his large and ugly brain.  
"Whoa, didn't expect that!" he exclaimed in surprise.  
    "I always thought you were big-headed," taunted Fox with a grin on his face. He opened fire on the brain, each laser slicing into the lobed flesh. The vulpine suddenly cried out in pain. He could feel something hacking away at his mind like a chainsaw. "Get out of my head!" he screamed at Andross. His hand slipped and his shots missed the large brain.  
    "Fox, watch out!"  
    The pain Fox was feeling blotted out all sound. He didn't even hear Falco's warning, and when Andross's brain rammed the Arwing, it was too late. The impact shaked Fox out of his painful stupor. He could now see and concetrate on the task at hand.  
"This must be the hardest job I've ever done," he muttered under his breath, as he saw Andross's head regenerated. "Still, I'm going to finish this!" He opened fire at Andross's face, but his lasers didn't even penetrate the thick hide. Fox saw the mouth open again and kept his finger on the trigger, letting the lasers blow the oncoming asteroids apart. "You think that can stop me, Andross? Think again!"  
    Falco saw the asteroids fly back towards Andross's open maw. He couldn't figure out how the mad monkey was doing it, after all, there was no air in space. How could Andross suck anything in if there wasn't any air? Then again, where were all those asteroids coming from? He shook his head and cleared those useless thoughts out of his mind, as he fired another smart bomb straight at Andross.  
    Fox kept the Arwing as far back as was possible, but it was being drawn slowly in. He saw something streak past him and Andross swallowed it. There was an explosion and Andross's head disappeared, to expose the brain again.  
"This time, monkey-boy, it's the end for you," smirked Fox, as he opened fire. His lasers seared into the exposed flesh of the brain and burnt their way through.  
    Andross screamed out in pain, as his face reappeared. The look of agony on his face was horrific. It was the same one that had appeared on his face back at Venom when Fox had last defeated him. There was a sudden explosion and the six Krazoa Spirits were ejected from his head within a shockwave of magical energy that didn't seem to do any harm to the two Arwings. Another explosion then tore Andross apart and the flames rushed outwards in an ever expanding ball of fire.  
    Fox turned his Arwing around and then fired the jet boosters. The first thing on his mind was to escape the expanding ball of flames, which he was sure would do more damage than the magical shockwave. That was no problem with his Arwing. He dodged the asteroid remnants, as he flew away from the expanding sphere of fire. He looked behind him. He was well clear of the explosion.  
"Falco, it was good to see you again," he said to his feathered friend. "We all missed you, buddy."  
    "Yeah, I missed being with you guys," agreed Falco with a nod of his head, as he piloted his Arwing closer towards the Great Fox. "You mind if I stop by and see the guys?"  
    "No, of course not," replied Fox with a shake of his head. "You go ahead, though. I've got to go back and check something out. I won't be long!"  
    Falco laughed at that comment.  
"Yeah, I'm sure," he chuckled. "Is the passcode the same as the last time I visited?"  
    "It sure is buddy," replied Fox. "I'll give the others a heads-up." He reached out and pressed a few buttons. "Hey, guys, you don't mind if Falco comes over do you?"  
    "No, we don't mind," replied Slippy's voice.  
    A smile spread across Fox's face. He could remember the well underneath the WarpStone and the prediction it had made. Was it finally going to come true? Was Falco going to rejoin the Star Fox Team? He didn't know, but he hoped that it would come true. He missed his friend.  
"Open up the docking bay for him," ordered Fox. "I'm going down to the Krazoa Palace to find that blue fox. I'll be back later, okay?"  
    "Sure, thing, Fox," replied Peppy. "You just be careful, all right?"  
    "I will, old timer," laughed Fox, before he turned his attention towards the Planet. He couldn't wait to find that fox again. He couldn't wait to be with her again.

* * * * *

    "All lab equipment has been packed and is ready for transfer from Dinosaur Planet, sir."  
    "Excellent," chuckled the second voice.  
    "Erm... sir, we also have General Scales here. He says that he wishes to join us."  
    "Does he really, now? Tell him that he must no drop the title, General, and that he must obey my commands, if he is to join our prestigious organisation."  
    "Yes, sir. Is that all?"  
    "Yes, now get going. We'll set up a new laboratory on Corneria and recreate the bio-weapon McCloud destroyed. Then he will pay dearly for crossing our path."

**_To be continued..._**


	3. Episode 03: No Money

Cowboy Star Fox 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

Author's Note: Star Fox and all related characters (including me) are copyrighted by Nintendo. Scales, Dinosaur Planet and all related characters are copyrighted by Rare. The Gospel Army, Dr. Jerome Kano, the Sekai Foundation and all related characters and places are copyrighted by me. Upon reading any word in this file, you hereby agree to forfeit all your rights to sue me and that I cannot be held liable for any psychological or physical damage caused by the fact that this fanfic contains swearing, violence and the use of British-English Spelling and Grammar.

P.S. I've decided to alter the story, so I've deleted all the chapters and started from scratch. Actually, there are very little changes to the first two chapters, but from this chapter onwards, the storyline is going to take a slightly different route from the original version. I recommend that you start reading again from scratch.

* * * * *

Episode 3: No Money  
    The large-eared, Fennec fox made her way through the burnt out corridors. This was the Gospel Army's latest base and as an agent of the Allied Military Intelligence Organisation, a subdivision of the Lylat Police, it was her job to fight against the terrorist organisation.  
    Slowly, she emerged out into a large hall. It had several doors in it, each one with the Gospel emblem painted on it, a dark red G made up of straight lines within a black square-shaped diamond. Her mind was on several things, as she stalked through the wreckage of the base. She looked around her and began to wonder what could have possibly caused so much damage. What could have possibly destroyed the terrorist organisation's base?  
    Whatever it was, it hade made a real show of destroying the place. The explosions could be seen for miles away and was what alerted the authorities to the base in the first place.  
    The Fennec fox mused on how the Gospel Army liked to install their bases underneath mansions, abandoned temples and palaces and underneath ruins. They loved hiding their compounds in such places. Slowly, she reached for her holo-communicator. Seconds later, a holographic image of a grey-furred canine appeared on it.  
"Bill, you got anything?" she asked the canine.  
    "Nothing," sighed Bill. "What about you, Fara?"  
    She shook her head in reply.  
"Whatever destroyed this place was very thorough," she told Bill. "There's not a single survivor." The fox began to shiver. Her body was not designed for such cold places. "I think we'd better leave and send for reinforcements." At that very moment, her keen sense of hearing detected a gunshot.  
    "What was that?" asked Bill.  
    "Don't know, but I'm going to find out," replied Fara, as she placed her finger more firmly on the trigger.  
    "Be careful."  
    "There's no need to tell me that," retorted Fara, before she switched off her holo-communicator. She began to run and then she heard a scream. Fara sprinted to the hideous scream and then skidded to a halt. Not too far away was some scaled monstrosity, standing over the torn body of what had once been a lion. "Stop right there!" she cried, as she aimed the gun. When it turned round, she suddenly realised that it wouldn't have understand a single word it said.  
    It was some kind of reptilian with large wings and incredibly longs claws that were dripping with blood. The face was vaguely ape-like and that was what worried her. To Fara, it looked like one of Andross's bio-weapons, but that couldn't be. Andross was dead. She had heard that Fox McCloud had killed him... twice.  
    The reptilian creature lunged at Fara. She fired at it, but the lasers didn't seem to penetrate its thick hide. Fara turned round and ran for it. As she ran, she fired at the creature, but the lasers didn't seem to do anything. Her mind had seized up with terror. It didn't occur to her to call for back-up. She turned round momentarily and saw the creature catching up with her. Fara tripped over a corpse and fell flat on her face.  
    Thinking on her feet, she grabbed the nearest object and threw it at at the reptilian creature. It batted it away like a baseball. Fara looked around her and saw a huge sheet of metal. She leapt to her feet and grabbed it, before throwing it as best as she could at the monstrosity. It tore through the sheet metal like paper.  
    A laser suddenly flew through the air and hit the reptilian monster. Several more lasers flew through the air and hit the bio-weapon.  
    Fara turned round and a smile spread across her face. It was Bill!  
"Thanks," she called out to him, before she raised her gun and decided to open fire on it as well. Perhaps the combined fire power of two guns would bring this scaly monstrosity down. She pulled the trigger and fired laser after laser at the thing. "It's no use!" she cried.  
    Bill looked around him and decided on the best possible action.  
"Run for it!" he shouted at her and when he saw her running, he raised his gun upwards and let rip with laserfire. He hoped that his plan would work, but if it didn't, it would at least buy them enough time to get some back-up.  
    The weakened ceiling suddenly collapsed and huge slabs of concrete came raining down towards the monster. Each one smashed into the scaly creature and there was suddenly a hideous shriek of pure agony.  
    The Fennec fox turned round and looked at the rubble.  
"Thanks, Bill," she thanked the canine with a sigh. She backed off away from the rubble and turned to look at the canine. A smile spread across her muzzle. "You're just a regular hero."  
    "Aw, it was nothing," said Bill modestly.  
    Fara turned to look at the rubble again. That monstrosity worried her. It didn't look natural at all. She had never seen a creature like that before. Was it one of Andross's old bio-weapons or was it something far more sinister than that?  
"Bill, I don't know about you, but something really bugs me about this place," she said, as she began to look around her. "It's as if..." She trailed off, not knowing what she meant to say. "Let's just get out of here and send for a clean-up team."  
    Bill nodded in agreement.  
"Yeah, let's," he said slowly. Something didn't feel right about this Gospel base, but he wasn't sure what it was. He had a bizarre feeling that they were being watched, that the bio-weapon had been deliberately let loose just for them. Perhaps he was getting paranoid... Perhaps not...  


    It had been a year since Andross's second demise at Dinosaur Planet. More importantly, it had been two years since Fox had last set foot on Corneria, his home planet. The vulpine inhaled deeply and sighed in relief.  
"It's good to be breathing that fresh air again," he sighed and suddenly choked on the exhaust fumes of a dilapidated lorry as it sped past. "Man, Corneria City's really changed since I last came here."  
    "Nah, it's always been like this," said Falco, before he took another sip of his drink through the straw that had been provided. It really didn't pay to be an avian when it came to drinking at a cafe, especially when they use those insanely tall, thin glasses. "You sure that he's going to come here?" asked Falco, as he looked around himself. "I would have thought that his type would have gone to seedy bars."  
    "You're probably thinking about yourself," joked Krystal. Her Lylatian had come a long way since the days of Dinosaur Planet, when the only Lylatian phrases she knew were, 'Hello', 'Goodbye', 'Andross is an arsehole' and 'Get lost' (the last one, usually directed towards Falco when he was drunk and trying to hit on her).  
    "Ha, ha, very funny," said Falco sarcastically, as he glared at her. "Say, Fox, what's wrong?" he asked, when he noticed that his friend was no longer laughing.  
    A toothy, smile spread across Fox's muzzle.  
"Nothing," he replied truthfully. "Would you excuse me?" He rose from his seat and walked a short distance away from the table and towards the edge of the pavement near the traffic lights. Fox reached out and tapped someone on the shoulder. "Chris Seaver, I presume?"  
    The person turned round and Fox punched him in the face, knocking him unconscious.  
"Huh, easiest ten thousand I've ever made," he commented, as he motioned over for his friends to come over.  


    The Lylat Police's Emblem wasn't very original. It consisted of a L and a P lodged in its crook, within a star that was within a shield. This emblem was plastered on the wall behind the police officer and was apparent on the cap of her blue uniform, which was like the Star Fox Adventures version of General Pepper's uniform, only blue and with white gloves.  
    "Excuse me."  
    The police officer, a Fennec fox, sighed as she lowered the paper in her hands.  
"How may I help you?" she began and then she trailed off, upon seeing the person not too far away. Her pupils nearly widened at the sight of the person not too far away. "Fox?"  
    "Fara?" exclaimed Fox in complete surprise. One of the things that he had not expected to see was his old girlfriend. "Wow, it's nice to see you again."  
    "Yeah," agreed Fara with a nod of her head. She looked at the grey-furred fox that Fox held in his hand. "I see you've become a bounty hunter," she stated calmly, as she toyed with her pencil. It wasn't a surprising career change, at least, Fara didn't think so. During the war, the Star Fox Team had been a bunch of mercenaries. They were still doing jobs for money. "So, you're contracting your services out to the police now, are you?"  
    A smile spread across Fox's face.  
"That's right Fara," he replied with a nod of his head.  
    "Hey, you'd better not go catching all the criminals, or you'd put us out of a job," joked Fara. She sighed turned round to the computer terminal and began typing in her passcode. "So, Fox, what's the guy's last name and initials?" She heard him clearly and began typing in a few items. A frown appeared on Fara's face. "Fox, you going for the small time crooks right now?" she asked curiously.  
    Fox frowned.  
"What do you mean?" he asked Fara. "I was told that this guy had a 10,000 Zenny reward on his head. How is that small time?"  


    Slippy sighed, as he turned the screw.  
"So, it isn't a 10,000 Zenny reward?" asked Slippy, as he continued working on Fox's Arwing. Well, what else was the frog supposed to do on a ship that badly needed repairs?  
    "That's right," sighed Peppy miserably, as he leaned against he hull of Fox's Arwing. "I misread the figure," he explained to Slippy, whom seemed to be the only one on the ship that would listen. "Seems as if there was a decimal point after the second zero." He winced at the thought of what Fox would do once the vulpine found out and then sighed, shaking his old head. "Fox always did hate wasting his time on the small fry," he stated. Still, at least Fox wasn't as bad as Falco...  


    "So, where's the reward?" asked Falco curiously.  
    Fox delved into his pocket and brought out a twenty Zenny banknote.  
"Here you go, your share of the big ten thousand," he said in a mocking tone of voice, before he carried walking on down the steps of the police station towards the street.  
    "Hey, Fox! Wait up!"  
    That voice sounded very familiar to Fox and Falco. The two turned round and saw a grey-furred canine running straight up to them. He too wore the blue uniform of the Lylat Police and on his head were a pair of sunglasses, almost like the ones that Falco had.  
    "Bill! You're working for the Lylat Police as well?" exclaimed Fox.  
    "That's right, Fox," said the canine, as he ran up to them. "I just saw you leaving with your reward and thought it would be great to get together again. You don't mind helping us out with a job, do you, Fox?"  
    A sly smile spread across Fox's face upon hearing those words.  
    "How much does it pay?" asked Falco, beating the vulpine to the chase. He was always more concerned about the money that Fox, even when the Great Fox became run down. He folded his arms and waited for the answer from the canine.  
    Bill didn't hear any chiding words from Fox and suddenly realised that Fox had become more like Falco when it came to money. He suddenly realised that it was going to cost the Lylat Police quite some money.  
"I'll tell you what," he began, "why don't we discuss this inside over a cup of coffee? It's not exactly best to talk about it right here."  
    "Sure thing, Bill," replied Fox with a nod of his head. "We can discuss the payment over that coffee as well," he stated, as he placed his arm around his old friend. "And while we're at it, we'd better talk about expenses, coz the Great Fox ain't what she used to be."  
    "Oh, sure, Fox," agreed Bill with a sigh. Perhaps it was a bad idea to enroll Fox's help.

* * * * *

    "Wok kxuk eik ev xoho, oei ataekj," growled the large reptilian. His head was like that of a T-Rex and his eyes seemed to burn with a fury. This was the former SharpClaw General, Scales, the newest member of the Syndicate. He was a tall and terrifying figure, two metres of scale-covered muscle with a robotic left arm that could easily crush the life out of someone. He wore a black leather jacket over a dark red shirt, both of which had no sleeves so as to expose his arms. Combined with dark blue trousers and dark grey boots, he ended up looking like some thug instead of the mighty General that he used to be.  
    One of the criminals was suddenly shoved forwards.  
"I'm sorry, sir, but we don't understand what you're saying," said the zebra. "Your translator seems to have broken again."  
    Scales lifted a scaly eyebrow. He couldn't understand a word the Syndicate thug was saying. He sighed and banged his robotic arm against the wall.  
"Is that better?" he asked and received a silent nod in reply. He made a mental note to get his arm fixed. How he loathed McCloud. If it wasn't for his defeat at the Krazoa Palace, he would still have had the rest of his left arm. As it was, the SharpClaw had turned on him and he had lost it. "Get that crate out of here right now, you blithering fools!" he shouted angrily, his rage fueled by thoughts of the fox.  
    "Yes, sir!" came the chorused reply, before they hauled the crate away.  
    Reduced from a Leader of an entire Planet to a petty little criminal. That was what Scales loathed the most. Yet, the Syndicate was the only one that he could escape to. It was the organisation that had provided him with the military might to take over the Dinosaur Planet and it was the only organisation that knew him well enough to take him on without question. Scales raised his robotic arm and pressed flipped a lid that covered it to reveal a mass of buttons. He pressed one and then a few numbered buttons.  
    A hologram rose up from his arm and it displayed the face of a pig, Pigma Dengar.  
"Mr. Dengar, the goods are ready for shipment," he announced to his new boss. At first, Scales had thought that Powalski was still in charge. After all, if he was to work for someone, it might as well have been someone related to his own kind. He had not known of the power change and when he did, it was too late. Once you join a Syndicate, they own you forever.  
    "That's good," said Pigma with a smile and a nod of his head. "I'm sure that you know what to do. Transfer it to the abandoned warehouse by the docks. The Gospel Agents will wait for you there."  
    "Of course," he agreed with a nod of his head. "Sir," he added bitterly. Well, at least he wasn't shipping drugs. That would have been even more degrading.

* * * * *

    "When we were sorting out the dead, we noticed that some of those within the Gospel Base belonged to the Lylat Syndicate," continued Bill calmly. He noticed that the others were listening in pure horror and that the cups of coffee they cradled in their hands had gone cold. Bill glanced at his and noticed that he hadn't even touched his either.  
    Fox was the most horrified, especially at the pictures of the bio-weapon. It looked exactly like the Drakor at Dragon Rock. In fact, the more he looked at the pictures, the more he realised that it was a Drakor. He told them. He told them of his battle against the bio-weapon and what it looked like.  
    "You know, that makes sense," said Krystal after thinking about it. "How else could Scales have become so powerful all of a sudden? Someone must have supplied technology and weapons to him. It must have either been this Gospel Army or the Syndicate."  
    Bill nodded in agreement.  
"You could be right," he agreed. "However, I doubt it's just one or the other. Lately, we've been gathering more evidence on the Lylat Syndicate and on the Gospel Army. For a long time, we couldn't figure out how the Gospel Army was getting its funds. We had agents looking everywhere and we couldn't find anyone laundering money to Gospel." He picked up his cup and peered down into it at the cold black liquid. His mouth was dry, but the cold coffee didn't look very inviting to him.  
    "It was as if Gospel was printing its own money or something like that," Bill continued, as he placed his cup back down. "That is, until now. We found Syndicate members and weapons at Gospel's latest base. We believe that the Syndicate is giving materials to the terrorist organisation, but we have no way of proving it."  
    "So why do you need our help?" asked Krystal curiously.  
    Falco sighed.  
"Corruption," he said, "right, Bill?"  
    The grey-furred canine nodded his head.  
"The Syndicate has got some kind of stranglehold on all of Lylat's police forces," explained Bill with a sad expression on his face. "It must have. Everytime someone attempts a case where the Syndicate is involved, they're unable to do anything. Evidence mysteriously disappears and the ones investigating the Syndicate are always caught doing something illegal or with illegal substances. Framed, in other words."  
    Fox understood Bill's predicament now. All that meant there had to be some officers within each precinct that were on the take.  
"I see," said Fox in a thoughtful manner. "Bill, even though we're not in the police force, the Syndicate can still beat us."  
    "No, it can't," argued Falco with a shake of his head. "I've faced off against the Syndicate before. If we take them by surprise, we can tear their organisation apart, but it requires thinking out of the box, going beyond the limits."  
    "So, Fox, you'll help us, right?"  
    "Anything for a friend," replied Fox with a nod of his head. "But Bill, we'll need some money to repair our equipment. The Great Fox ain't what she used to be."  
    "Well, I guess we could pay for the repairs in part, but we're not made out of money, Fox," sighed Bill. He took the cup off his desk and peered at the cold, black liquid within it, before placing it back down on the coaster. "We can only give you so much money and even then it'll have to be taken out of your fee."  
    Fox sighed.  
"Well, it doesn't matter," he said with a shake of his head. "As long as we get to eliminate the Gospel Army and the Syndicate, that'll be fine with me."

**_To be continued..._**


	4. Episode 04: Words that we couldn't say

Cowboy Star Fox 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

Author's Note: Star Fox and all related characters (including me) are copyrighted by Nintendo. Scales, Dinosaur Planet and all related characters are copyrighted by Rare. The Gospel Army, Dr. Jerome Kano, the Sekai Foundation and all related characters and places are copyrighted by me. Upon reading any word in this file, you hereby agree to forfeit all your rights to sue me and that I cannot be held liable for any psychological or physical damage caused by the fact that this fanfic contains swearing, violence and the use of British-English Spelling and Grammar.

* * * * *

Episode 4: Words that we couldn't say  
    Bill was the one that sat behind the wheel, seeing as Krystal didn't have a driving licence. The blue-furred vixen sat besides the dog, as they sat there in the car and waited. Stake outs were the one thing that Bill didn't like, but he didn't let it on.  
"So," began Bill in an attempt to break the silence, "Krystal, when did you and Fox first meet?"  
    "About a year ago on Dinosaur Planet," replied Krystal calmly. "It was rather a short meeting actually. He rescued me from falling and, well, that was it. We didn't say much to each other, but that couldn't be helped. Andross was there."  
    "Oh," said Bill with a nod of his head. He knew exactly what the vixen was talking about. "Yeah, Fox told me about that. I couldn't believe that Andross was still alive."  
    Krystal shook her head at Bill's comment.  
"He wasn't alive," she told him, as she thought back to when she had first set foot in the Krazoa Palace. "At least, he wasn't when I first saw him in the Krazoa Palace. He was like some kind of ghost or... essence." She could still remember that horrible time when she had seen his translucent face peer at her from round the stone pillar. "That's the bit I don't understand," she sighed. "Andross was like some kind of..." She trailed off, not knowing the right word to say. "I cannot explain it."  
    "Then don't," Bill told her. He glanced back at the warehouse and then at Krystal. She was a beautiful vixen with gentle sapphire blue eyes. "So, are you and Fox an item?" he asked in an attempt to change the subject. The response he got from her wasn't one he had expected.  
    "I don't know," replied Krystal with a shake of her head. "Sometimes I feel that he loves me and others I feel like he doesn't at all." She looked towards Bill. "You know him better than me. Do you feel that I could ever have a chance with him?"  
    That was the most awkward question he had ever been asked. Bill had no idea how to answer. Though he knew his friend well, he didn't know about his friend's choice in women.  
"I don't know either," he told her truthfully. "It seems to me that Fox is more interested in his missions than anything else, but from the way I've seen him act around you, I'm guessing that you have a chance."  
    "I hope so," sighed Krystal, as she lowered her head. "It's just, I feel as if I have competition in the form of that Fennec fox, Fara."  


    "It's nice to be here with you again, Fox," mused Fara. She turned to face the fox in question and then remembered the one habit she wished he didn't have. "Fox, get your dirty feet off the dashboard!" she cried, and swatted his boots off. "Sometimes I wonder whether you're the gentleman you make yourself out to be."  
    Fox made his best apologetic puppy-dog look, wondering whether it would still work on her.  
"I'm sorry," he apologised with glistening emerald green eyes and a quivering lower lip. It really was a sight to behold. If any of his enemies had seen this, they would have died from laughing too much. Fox McCloud, the scourge of all bad guys, criminals and psychopathic monkeys, looking like some kind of sad puppy that had lost its mother.  
    "Oh, stop that," cried Fara, turning away as quickly as possible.  
    "Stop what?" asked Fox and whined a little to make the illusion all that much better, at which point Fara hit him. "Hey, stop!" he protested, as he was hit over and over again. It didn't hurt, but he got the message it portrayed. "Okay, I'll stop with the sad-puppy look! I give! I give!"  
    Fara shook her head in disbelief.  
"Honestly, you don't know when to give up at times," she told him, as she turned back round to look out of the windscreen and towards the warehouse in front of them. She sighed. Thoughts came back to her, as she looked out of the windscreen. It had been a long time since Falco had gone in, disguised as the criminal, Zudwe Vokk, whom they had captured not too long ago. "Do you think Falco's all right?" asked Fara.  
    Fox thought about the disguise Slippy had given the blue-feathered avian. It was the same one he had used on Dinosaur Planet, only tweaked to make him look like Zudwe Vokk. Not once had the disguise failed.  
"He'll be fine," replied Fox calmly. "Slippy's disguise is fool proof."  


    Zudwe Vokk was a black-furred panther with a T-shaped scar in the middle of his feline face. Falco Lombardi was a blue-feathered avian. The two didn't look the same, hence the disguise that Slippy had given Falco and the voice alteration device.  
    Falco looked over the array of weapons that he had suddenly been presented with. There were plenty of them and all of them were black market weapons for sure. Busting this illegal arms ring would be the best thing he had ever done.  
"Yeah, these are all right," he said to them in a tone of voice that suggested that he regarded them as inferior. "They're not what I'm looking for, though. I'm looking for some weapons that can really do some damage, you know what I'm saying?"  
    The squirrel in the black suit looked at the array of weapons he had laid out for the customer and then back at his colleagues.  
"Yeah, I think I know what you're getting at," replied the squirrel with a nod of his head. "Follow me." He made a gesture with his finger for Falco to follow and led the avian in disguise past a few crates. "Guys, crack open this crate, will you?"  
    The avian crossed his arms as he waited for them to get the crate open. He watched as they pried the lid open and then delved in to bring out something. It was a weapon he had often seen, a Nuksxak Assault Rifle, utilising 10G Cartidges that produce lasers capable of cutting bone. Often during the Lylat War, he had seen the enemy use this rifle, but never before had he been in such a close proximity to one before.  
    "This is a..." began the squirrel.  
    "Yeah, yeah, a Nuksxak rifle," said Falco in a dismissive tone. "Is this all you've got?"  
    "Well, yeah," replied the squirrel sternly. "What are you looking for anyway? There's no weapon out there more powerful than this."  
    Discreetly, Falco pressed a button on his wrist and waited a few seconds, before letting a smile curl his beak.  
"Funny you should mention that, actually," he told the squirrel, as he unfolded his arms and lowered them to his side. There was suddenly a crashing noise and the sound of several boots pounding across concrete, as the entire warehouse was suddenly filled up with guys in SWAT Team gear and armed with rifles. "We're here to arrest you," said Falco smugly, as he quickly raised his gun and aimed it at the squirrel.  
    "Good job, Falc'," praised Fox, as he moved in to help Bill arrest them. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone make a run for it. "Hey, you!" he shouted, raising his gun. "Hold it right there!" No response. "I'm going after him," he announced, before taking flight after the criminal. He would not let a criminal get away. He had never let one get away, especially not when he was now working directly for the Lylat Police instead of for their rewards. The criminal suddenly stopped and turned round. Fox skidded to a halt. "Scales!"  
    "Fox McCloud!" exclaimed Scales in surprise. He had not expected to meet the fox again, especially in the slums of Corneria City, yet he could remember the warnings he had been given. "So, you've come to get in my way again, have you?" asked Scales angrily, as he raised his robotic arm. It was not covered in any cloth of any kind unlike his other arm, hence Fox could clearly see it for what it was. "Do you see this? I lost my arm because of you!" He whirled round and smashed his robotic arm into a stake of crates, destroying one of them and sending the entire stack tumbling down in front of him. He ran.  
    There was no need for him to fight Fox McCloud. Scales knew that there was no need, for he had planned this completely. The weapons they had stocked there were all inferior copies and all of them would be destroyed, with Fox McCloud's destruction following soon after.  
    The reptilian didn't get very far. He skidded to a halt when his path was suddenly blocked by a couple of police officers and a very familiar blue-furred vixen.  
"You?" exclaimed Scales in disbelief. "What? Is this a reunion of all those that have opposed me?" He began to back off and then suddenly realised that McCloud was behind him. He turned round and saw the Fox making his way over the fallen crates. "You will regret this," he snarled, as he turned round to face Krystal and the Lylat Police officers.  
    "I severely doubt that, Scales," retorted Krystal, as she held her magical staff firmly in her hands. This time round, she would not let it slip out of her hands and she would use it against the SharpClaw if he tried anything. "Now, I suggest that you surrender, Scales. You're outnumbered."  
    Scales grinned at Krystal.  
"Maybe so, but I am certainly not outgunned," he retorted, as he clenched his robotic hand into a fist. There was suddenly a loud explosion to their left and another one behind Scales. "I've rigged this place to blow up and go up in flames. Let's see you catch me now, when your lives are at stake!" He began to laugh, as he lowered his arm and pressed a button on his belt. Immediately, he became translucent and then disappeared from sight.  
    "He's gone!" exclaimed one of the police officers in disbelief.  
    "Never mind about that!" shouted Fox, as he ran up to the others. "Let's get out of here!" He looked around him as the warehouse burned furiously. His keen vulpine ears swivelled round as best as they could, listening for any sounds made by anyone that could have been trapped. "Hey, Krystal, where are you going?" csried Fox, as he saw her rush past. "Krystal, don't!" He ran after her in the hope that he could catch up with her.  
    Ahead of him, he saw Krystal trying her best to move a large wooden box. What was she doing? It was then that he heard a voice over the roar of the flames. He rushed over and helped her. He stood his ground and then started to push. Their combined strength seemed to do the trick and the box seemed to budge. Whatever was in it was certainly heavy. Fox strained against it and soon it slid out of the way.  
    From out of the wreckage crawled a reptilian that Fox recognised instantly.  
"Caiman?" he exclaimed in complete surprise. He hesitated and then realised that this reptilian needed his help. He bent down and placed one of Caiman's arms around his shoulder and stood back up again, supporting the reptile's weight. "Come on, let's get out of here."  
    "Yeah, let's," agreed Krystal with a nod of her head, as she turned round.  
    A large piece of timber suddenly came crashing down in front of them and burnt fiercely in front of them, blocking their path. All around them was this inferno and it prevented them from escaping. It was like Hell on Corneria and they were trapped inside this burning inferno.  
    Krystal extended her staff and lowered it towards the flames. A cold blast of air emerged from its tip and eventually the flames subsided and disappeared.  
"Here, let me help you!" she called out and placed one of Caiman's arms around her shoulders to help bear the reptilian's weight. The two of them then ran for it, carrying Caiman between the two of them.  
    They stopped. A huge wall of fire was blocking their escape path and all around them was the creaking of wood weakened by the flames. The smoke was making it more difficult to breathe and the flames were getting hotter every second. Anymore and they wouldn't have been able to stand it.  
    "Krystal, do you think your staff can handle that?" asked Fox, having to shout over the roar of the flames.  
    "We'll just have to see," was Krystal's reply, as she did her best to aim it. A cold blast of air emerged from the staff, yet the flames did not shrink away from the cold blast of air. They still burnt fiercely and defiantly against that which would have extinguished lesser fires. It seemed as if they had a life of their own and were resilient to all those that would take that life away from them. "It's no use!" she cried in horror. "It's too strong."  
    Fox looked around him and saw that they had no other choice. Flames surrounded them on all sides and the roof looked as if it would collapse on to them at any moment.  
"There's only one thing for it then," he said to Krystal. "We'll have to leap through the fire."  
    "What? Are you nuts?" cried Krystal in protest. She had never heard anything so stupid in her life. There was suddenly a loud groaning and the vixen looked upwards. It seemed as if the roof was going to cave in. Perhaps, the idea wasn't so stupid after all. What else had they to lose? "Oh, okay then," she sighed. "We'll go through with your idea"  
    Fox looked past the flames. They weren't prepared for the entire endeavour. He realised that they would at least need to be soaked to the bone with water or wearing flame retardant clothing to survive. They had nothing else at their disposal, however. Or did they?  
"Krystal, see if you can use your staff to douse us both!" he shouted at the blue-furred vixen over the flames. He was sure that the heat of the raging inferno would keep the staff from freezing them into blocks of ice.  
    Krystal nodded in acknowledgement and slipped away from Caiman and Fox. She brought out her staff and aimed. A steady, controlled blast of cold air hit the two of them and she made sure it wasn't strong enough to freeze them solid. When they were both suitably doused, she handed the staff over to Fox and quickly supported Caiman's weight in Fox's place.  
    Fox was quick about it getting Krystal suitably wet. The idea was that the moisture would delay the action of the fires on their clothes and fur. Hopefully, it would limit the burns they would receive. He took Caiman's other arm and helped support his weight. Without any more hesitation the two of them rushed forwards with Caiman between them. The three leapt through the flames and emerged out on the other side, slightly singed.  
    "There they are!"  
    Caiman was too dazed to make out what was going on, but he was aware that some people were rushing straight towards him and pulling him away from the flames. That was good. He didn't want to be anywhere near the flames. He coughed slightly and smiled, allowing his heavy eyelids to close shut. Sleep was what he needed and plenty of it.

* * * * *

    Scales looked on at the burning warehouse from the roof of a nearby building. His arms were crossed, as he watched it burn. He could see the commotion on the ground and realised what it meant. The SharpClaw sighed miserably at the thought that McCloud had survived. More importantly, the reptilian, Caiman had survived. Scales didn't like that at all.  
    The plan had been simple. He himself had leaked out the information on the arms deal. Everything had been planned out carefully. The plan was that when they came across Caiman's charred remains, they would have thought it was him, Scales. He would have been free from the Syndicate then, able of starting his own organisation to crush the Syndicate and take back control of Dinosaur Planet.  
    Now that was all but a dream. Scales raised his robotic arm and opened the lid. He pressed a few buttons on the holo-communicator and waited.  
    A holographic image of Pigma's face appeared on it.  
"Scales? What is it?" asked Pigma angrily.  
    "It seems that General Ookami was right," replied Scales sternly, in his most humble manner. "McCloud was there and he saved that traitor Caiman." It made his soul cringe to be so humble before a worthless, fat pig. Yet, he knew it was necessary for his own survival. "Shall I go after them?"  
    Pigma frowned at that statement.  
"I wonder how he knew?" wondered Pigma out loud. It was strange that General Ookami, the Leader of the Gospel Army, would know such a thing. He, the new Head of the Lylat Crime Syndicate, had agents everywhere and all of them worked for him. "As for Caiman, I don't think it would be wise to go after him. That would draw too much attention. However, he will tell them about our old friend, Malpass. See to it that they never capture him."  
    A smile spread across Scales' snout. This was the exact type of work that, though below him, was still satisfying.  
"Of course, sir," he replied. "Neither Star Fox nor the Lylat Police will ever arrest him." The holographic image of Pigma's head soon disappeared.  
    Slowly, Scales reached out with his good arm and shut the lid on his robotic arm. He placed a foot on the ledge of the roof and peered over. Below, he could see the burning wreckage of the warehouse that was supposed to be Star Fox's trap. The SharpClaw couldn't understand how they could have survived. The place was designed to burn with them inside it. They should never have been able to escape from the burning warehouse.  
    Scales' robotic fist clenched tightly, as he glared down at Fox McCloud angrily.  
"I'll get rid of you, McCloud," snarled Scales. "I will crush you with my bare hands and tear you to pieces." He turned round and made his way across the roof and away from the scene of the explosions. "Just you wait, McCloud. You will die at my hands."

**_To be continued..._**


	5. Episode 05: Don't Bother No One

Cowboy Star Fox 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

Author's Note: Star Fox and all related characters (including me) are copyrighted by Nintendo. Scales, Dinosaur Planet and all related characters are copyrighted by Rare. The Gospel Army, Dr. Jerome Kano, the Sekai Foundation and all related characters and places are copyrighted by me. Upon reading any word in this file, you hereby agree to forfeit all your rights to sue me and that I cannot be held liable for any psychological or physical damage caused by the fact that this fanfic contains swearing, violence and the use of British-English Spelling and Grammar.

* * * * *

Episode 5: Don't Bother No One  
    "Perhaps it was a bad idea to take Krystal here," commented Fox, as he sat on the bar stool. "I mean, would you look at some of these guys? They're out for some fresh tail and I don't like the looks they're giving her." They were on a special assignment to capture Malpass, a ruthless thug hired by the Syndicate, and Fox knew that he frequented the bar they were in quite often. The assignment was no big deal. After all, if they weren't working for the Lylat Police, they would still have gone after Malpass anyway.  
    Krystal turned round to glare at Fox angrily.  
"Would you not kindly talk about me as if I weren't here?" she asked Fox. "Besides, I can take care of myself."  
    "I'm sorry," apologised Fox sheepishly. "It's just that I don't think this place is suitable for such a young vixen like you."  
    A sigh escaped Krystal's muzzle, as she shook her head. Some foxes wouldn't learn. She turned round and looked around her. She saw someone of the looks that some of the men were giving her.  
"Say, is that him?" wondered Krystal, as she pointed over to a guy seated at a table not too far away.  
    "Yeah, I think so," replied Fox with a nod of his head. He was about to get up, when Krystal placed a hand out in front of him.  
    "I'll handle this one," announced Krystal, "alone." She got up, despite Fox's protests. She made her way towards the suspected thug, her tail swaying in a pseudo-seductive manner. All at once, Krystal's once innocent look disappeared, as she walked straight up and sat in the booth with the guy.  
    "I hope she can handle this one," said Fox. "What do you think, Falco? Should we...?" he said, as he turned round to face his blue-feathered friend. He stopped mid-sentence upon seeing what the avian was doing. "What the Hell are you doing, Falc'?" He watched the avian shake some pepper into a glass and watched each granule flutter down on to a raw egg.  
    Falco sighed. He looked incredibly lethargic, as if someone had sucked all the blood and energy out of him.  
"It's called a Prairie Oyster," replied the avian in a low, guttural voice. "They say it's good for hangovers." He raised the glass, which was wide enough for his beak to get in.  
    "Guh, that looks foul," commented Fox. That reminded him. He turned round quickly and saw the guy trying to make a pass on Krystal. "Hey, you!" he shouted angrily, as he rose from his seat.  
    That was when Krystal belted him over the head and knocked him away from her and kicked him away from her.  
"Oh, whoops, sorry," she apologised, as the guy went careering into another set of thugs. She saw them rise from their seats and noticed that they were all wearing ponchos. The next thing she noticed was them hitting the guy that she had sent careering towards them.  
    "Krystal, what have you done?" cried Fox, before somehow the entire bar descended into one gigantic bar fight.  
    Falco was suddenly jolted aside, as one of the poncho-clad lowlifes hit him. Slowly, he looked down at his lap and at the contents of the glass that lay there. Surprisingly, the yolk was still intact. That was not on his mind, however. He rose from his seat and turned round.  
"These were my best pants," said Falco through a clenched beak. "Oh, you're going to pay, pal!" He rushed forward and threw a feathered fist into the thug's face.  
    "Hey, you can't do that to our amigo," growled a lynx, before he dashed towards the avian. He spread his claws and lashed out at Falco.  
    The avian gracefully side-stepped out of the way and grabbed the lynx by the ruff of his neck and pulled him towards him. Falco raised his leg and kneed the guy in the stomach, before flinging the lynx away. A guy rushed at him with a bottle.  
    Fox dashed forwards and grabbed the guy's wrist. In one swift movement, he turned the guy over and slammed him down on to the floor. His keen vulpine sense of hearing suddenly heard approaching footsteps. He whirled round and flung his fist upwards to where he anticipated the face would be. Bullseye! That guy would have a black eye in the morning for sure.  
    Krystal wasn't doing too bad. Her staff was a weapon to match all weapons, and she was knocking criminal lowlifes out here and there, one after another. She leapt into the air and swung her staff straight at an avian's head and knocked him out cold.  
"Who else wants some?" asked Krystal rhetorically, as she swung her staff to the side and looked around her. At that point, she saw the poncho-clad thugs dashing out of the door. A small smile spread across her muzzle, as she straightened up.  
    "Krystal, behind you!"  
    The vixen didn't even turn round. She just lifted her arm and the staff's tip went backwards. She felt the staff jar against something solid and then whirled round. Krystal saw it was the guy she had approached earlier. She shoved him against the wall, pinning him by the neck with her staff.  
"Okay, Malpass, I know that's you," she said sternly. "Come along peacefully and maybe I won't hurt you more."  
    "Malpass? What are you talking about?" exclaimed the horse in a stutter.  
    "Don't play dumb with me," she said, as she tore at his shirt. "This tattoo is..."  
    It was a known fact that Maplass had a tattoo of a Chinese dragon. This had been branded on in the usual way and dyed, as was tattoos for all fur-bearing animals.  
    Krystal couldn't believe what she saw.  
"What is this?" she asked loudly.  
    "I have a thing for eels," replied the horse sheepishly.  
    "Oh, that's just great," sighed Fox sarcastically, as he moved back over to the bar. "Oh, sorry, bud," he apologised after bumping into someone. The mouse murmured some apology and then sped past him. He suddenly stopped and turned back round, to face the mouse that was running out. He saw a dragon tattoo on the arm. "Hey, you, stop right there!" he shouted, as he reached for his gun. "Shit! Why do they always have to run?"  
    Fox ran for it, leaping through the hole in the bar window and out on to the streets. He looked up and down and then he saw the mouse running not too far away.  
"Hey, Malpass, freeze!" he shouted, as he aimed the gun down the empty street. The mouse turned a corner. "Crap!" swore Fox, before he ran for it. He turned the corner and ran down the deserted alley, not caring for the puddles he splashed through.  
    "What? A dead end?" exclaimed Fox in surprise, as he skidded to a halt. He looked up and around him. Bingo! Fox ran and leapt, grabbing the rung of an escape ladder and climbing it. He came up on to a metallic landing and ran up the fire escsape stairs that snaked up the building.  
    He emerged up on to the roof and saw the mouse leap over on to the next building. A smile spread across his face. No problem, he could do that. Fox sprinted across the roof and made one leap, clearing the alleyway. The mouse turned and cleared the next one. 'Dead end,' thought Fox, as he saw the mouse skid to a halt.  
    Malpass looked down. The river was below him. To his left and right were large streets that he couldn't possibly leap over. If he tried to go down the fire escape ladders, he would be caught. He delved into his pocket and brought out a slim glass tube.  
    "It ends here, Malpass," announced Fox, as he aimed his gun at the mouse. "Surrender now and perhaps I'll go easy on you."  
    "You a cowboy or something? A bounty hunter?" asked Malpass.  
    "Yeah, that's right," replied Fox with a smile on his muzzle.  
    "I hate cowboys," said Malpass, as he whirled round and flipped out a knife. He ran straight for Fox.  
    The speed at which Malpass ran surprised the vulpine and before he knew it, his gun was knocked out of his hand. Fox stepped back, avoiding the mouse's knife. How was it that the mouse was so fast? He winced in pain, as the mouse swung the knife in an arc and cut the fox's arm.  
"Shit, you're on some serious drugs," exclaimed Fox in surprise. Those red eyes could only mean one thing. Maplass was on that well-known Syndicate drug known as Crimson Head; it was a drug that increased speed, agility and one's reactions. It was said that a person on Crimson Head was able to dodge lasers easily.  
    Fox leapt out of the way, practically skipping across the floor.  
"You're still no match for me, buddy," he said, as he leapt out of the way. He was not sure whether he would be able to defeat Malpass, but he had to try. He kept himself on the balls of his feet, not wanting to get caught off guard. He saw Malpass lunge straight at him and decided to let his legs go like jello.  
    Instantly, Fox fell down and he stiffened his legs, sweeping them round in a circle and knocking Malpass off his legs. He saw the mouse crash to the ground and then lunged for him. He grabbed the arm that held the knife and tried to wrench the knife out of Malpass' hand.  
    "Get lost, fox," cried Malpass, before kicking Fox in the stomach. "Get off!" He flung his head forehead and headbutted Fox on the head. He felt the vulpine let go of his arm and he swung the knife at the vulpine.  
    With a wince of pain on his furry face, Fox rolled away. He staggered back to his feet and was suddenly rushed by Malpass. He was knocked back to the ground and saw the gleaming blade of Malpass' knife slash at him. Fox raised his hand and caught the knife-wielding hand by the wrist. Malpass was strong, possibly due to the drugs, but Fox knew that he could handle the mouse.  
    "Hold it right there, Malpass!" shouted a voice.  
    The mouse turned round and hissed in anger when he saw a gun aimed at him. The avian that held it had a smug face on his beak and that enraged Malpass even more.  
"Get lost, bird, before I tear you to shreds," he warned the blue-feathered avian.  
    "Falco, watch out! He's on Crimson Head," shouted out Fox.  
    Malpass tore his wrist away from Fox's grasp and rushed straight at Falco. He saw the avian fire his gun at him. His vision was tinged red and everything seemed to move in slow motion to him. He could dodge the lasers easily and with no problem. It seemed that he would leave it to the last moment, just avoiding the laser when it was a few inches away from him. Something grabbed him from behind. It was an arm and it was wrapped around his throat tightly, nearly choking the air out of him.  
    Seeing this, Falco rushed over to help his vulpine friend. He grabbed the wrist of the hand that held the knife and tried his best to wrench the blade out of Malpass' grip. The mouse was writhing in Fox's grasp and was kicking out.  
"I've had enough of you!" he cried, before punching the mouse in the face and drawing blood with the blow. He was sure he had even knocked out a few teeth.  
    "Hey, Falco, that's enough!" protested Fox, but not before Falco could punch the mouse in the stomach. He heard Malpass' knife drop to the floor.  
    "Hey, it did the job, didn't it?" retorted Falco with his arms spread out and a smug smile on his face.  
    "Yeah, I guess," mumbled Fox under his breath. "Come on, let's get him cuffed and take him down to the station."  
    "Fox, I've been thinking."  
    "Did it hurt?" joked Fox, as he slapped the handcuffs on Malpass.  
    Falco glared at Fox.  
"Very funny, Fox," he said sarcastically. He helped Fox hoist the unconscious mouse up to his feet and then between the two of them, they carried him over to the fire escape stairs. "You know how reluctant the police are to give us the bounty rewards? I think this is their way to stop us catching crooks. Think about it. They're getting us to capture big time crooks, all of whom would have had huge rewards on their heads, and they're making us do it for less money than we would do if we weren't working for them."  
    "Are you saying Bill is in on some kind of conspiracy to stop us from doing what bounty hunters do best?" asked Fox, as he helped Falco throw Malpass on to a couple of bags. "I don't think so, buddy," he said, before sliding down the ladder that led down to the alley below. "Bill would never do such a thing. Now come on and help me get Malpass to the car." He waited for the avian to leap down from the ladder and then the two of them hoisted Malpass up and walked out of the alley together.  
    A car screeched to a halt in front of them and the window lowered down. Sitting behind the wheel was none other than Krystal.  
"So, are you guys done playing?" asked Krystal with a frown on her face.  
    "Krystal, what are you doing?" asked Fox in disbelief. "You don't know how to drive! You don't even have a licence!"  
    "Hey, I can learn," she retorted. "Now get in."  
    "Only if I drive back," stated Fox sternly.  
    Krystal saw that Fox was determined. She was tempted to tell him to walk, but she couldn't. After all, she had fallen in love with that fox.  
"Yeah, okay," she sighed in agreement, "but you owe me driving lessons and the fee I need to pay to take the tests." She waited for a reply from him and received one. He agreed. "Deal!" She got out of the driver's seat and opened the back door, to allow Fox and Falco to dump Malpass in the back.  
    Fox heard a screeching and turned round to see a car turning the corner rather fast. His emerald green eyes caught sight of one of the windows opening.  
"Hit the ground!" he shouted, as the air was suddenly alive with the sound of gunfire. He dived for Krystal and pushed her to the ground and shielded her body with his. He turned round and saw Falco shielding Malpass with his own body.  
    Falco brought his gun out and moved over to lean against the car's metallic body with the gun pointed skywards. He turned round and fired a few shots. Lasers flew at him and he whirled back behind the car for cover.  
"Hey, Malpass, stop or I shoot!" he shouted, upon seeing the mouse running away.  
    "I'll get him!" cried Fox, as he leapt to his feet. Lasers were sprayed into the air and he dived back to the ground.  
    "That's it!" cried Krystal, as she brought out her staff. She leapt off the car and used the staff to create some kind of light blue forcefield around her. It was like an umbrella and she ran, the lasers ricocheting off the forcefield. She was unstoppable and when she reached the thugs, she brought the staff crashing into them.  
    Fox peered round from the hole-ridden car and saw that they were too busy trying to penetrate her forcefield. That was too good. He whirled round and fired. Each shot hit a guy in the leg, making them buckle and fall down to the ground. He ran towards them and Falco followed suit.  
"No, Falco, get Malpass," he said to his friend.  
    With a sigh, Falco turned round and ran back into the alleyway that the mouse had disappeared into. He heard a gunshot. That wasn't good. His run turned into a sprint and then that turned into a grinding halt. Falco looked on in disbelief. Who had done this?  
"Nice shade of brain," he said sarcastically, as he saw Malpass's lifeless body slumped against the concrete wall. He sighed and shook his head upon thinking of the consequences. How were they going to find out the Syndicate's next move when Malpass was dead?  


    "Well, Rob? Got anything on it?" asked Slippy, as he walked into the room.  
    The Lylat Police had sent a tissue sample from the bio-weapon for Rob to analyse. Their own forensic scientists had no data on Andross's bio-weapons, so it was up to the Star Fox Team to study the mitochondrial DNA. If they could prove a match, then it was possible that the bio-weapon was one of Andross's old creations or that Andross was still alive.  
    Rob unhooked himself from the computer that was connected to the electrophoresis gel and other equipments.  
"The mitochondrial DNA does not match those from Andross's bio-weapons," announced Rob. "That could mean that either it was not made from the same batch of cells or that it was not made by Andross. I am, however, unable to discover the age of the bio-weapon, as there is not enough material to do so."  
    "I see," sighed Peppy, who had been sitting the room with Rob all day. "Are there any signature pieces of DNA? You know, the kind of things that Andross always puts in the genomes of his bio-weapons."  
    The robot shook his metallic head in response.  
"Negative," he replied. "That was the first thing I looked for." The robot could remember analysing tissue samples from some of Andross's other bio-weapons. All had the same sequence of nonsense DNA in the same positions. It was like Andross's very own signature. "This was not one of Andross's bio-weapons."  
    Slippy sighed in relief.  
"Well, that's good," he squeaked. "That proves that Andross isn't behind the Gospel Army." He would have been scared witless if Andross was behind the Gospel Army. That would have meant the mad monkey was still alive, a bigger shock than that he received on Dinosaur Planet. "Well, I guess we've got someone else to contend with then. Could it be someone who's even badder then Andross?"

**_To be continued..._**


	6. Episode 06: Chicken Bone

Cowboy Star Fox 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

Author's Note: Star Fox and all related characters (including me) are copyrighted by Nintendo. Scales, Dinosaur Planet and all related characters are copyrighted by Rare. The Gospel Army, Dr. Jerome Kano, the Sekai Foundation and all related characters and places are copyrighted by me. Upon reading any word in this file, you hereby agree to forfeit all your rights to sue me and that I cannot be held liable for any psychological or physical damage caused by the fact that this fanfic contains swearing, graphic scenes of death and violence and the use of British-English Spelling and Grammar.  
P.S. If the plot for this chapter seems familiar, then you've most likely probably watched Cowboy Bebop, to which this fanfic is a partial homage to. I hope you enjoy it.  
P.P.S. Many of you have asked me as to why Wolf hasn't appeared yet. He has. It's just that I haven't referred to him by name yet. Can you guess which one of the, as of yet, unnamed, undescribed characters he is?

* * * * *

Episode 6: Chicken Bone  
    Fox's movements were of a fierce gracefulness. He had decided on a rigorous kata to take his mind off Fara and Krystal. They were so eager to get him to be their boyfriend and he was undecided on which one he liked best. They were both beautiful and it seemed as if they both had the same personalities. 'Don't think about that,' he chided himself mentally. 'Concentrate on the task at hand.'  
    Once, his father had told him that he should be less stiff and more like water. At first, Fox had no idea what his father was talking about and suspected his father of being at the whisky again. However, Fox had eventually got it. Water is fluid. It flows from one place to another. It takes the shape of its container. It is soft, yet hard enough to erode the ever-lasting mountains. It is slow, yet quick. It is gentle, yet strong enough to move boulders. Fox had realised from his father's comment that he should become more loose. When one is loose, one can turn an opponent's own strength against him. And so he became more loose when fighting and utilised his opponent's very own strength against them.  
    Bending and twisting, Fox continued his routine, keeping his mind off of the two girls. His movements were as graceful and skilled as that of any dancer. That was his way. He was graceful and quick. Fox was the sort that could almost never be knocked off his feet in battle.  
    "Fox, breakfast's ready," called out an old-sounding and gruff voice.  
    "I've already had some, Peppy," said Fox calmly, without even stopping. "Thanks for the offer, though."  
    "Something bothering you?" asked Peppy curiously. Something didn't sound quite right to the old rabbit.  
    "Maybe," stated Fox calmly, as he continued to practice his movements and refine his speed.  
    Peppy sighed with a shake of his head.  
"Fox, you have to open up," he told the young vulpine. "If you keep your problems and feelings bottled up, one day you'll snap and become as mad as Andross. Now are you going to tell me what's wrong?"  
    "It's Fara and Krystal," Fox told the rabbit with a sigh. "They're both so nice and yet, I can't decide on one. I'm not sure which one I love more. I'm not even sure I love them in that way, either." There was something about being covered in fur that had its setbacks, one of which was the lack of sweat. In order for him to cool off, he needed to let his tongue hang out of his mouth like his ancestors used to, and of course, he would sweat from what little bare skin he had. He stopped from his kata and walked over to the bottle of water he had set aside. "Sometimes, I wonder whether if I'm interested in love at all." He took the cap off the bottle of water and swilled it down.  
    He turned to face the rabbit.  
"Peppy, how do I deal with them?" asked Fox curiously. "I like them both, but, they're getting so insistent that I'm afraid they'll come up to me one day and make me choose between the two of them. I'm not ready for that decision yet."  
    "That's a tough one, Fox," sighed the old rabbit. "I don't have a straight answer for that, either." Peppy began to think carefully, but nothing came to him. "All I can say is that you'll just have to let things go the way they're supposed to. If they're the right one for you, then you'll know."  
    Fox placed a towel around his shoulders, as he sat down on the bench to the side of the chamber.  
"Perhaps," he mused, as he thought about it carefully. "Perhaps you're right." There was nothing more after that and they both sat there in silence for what seemed like an eternity.  
    "Well, I've got to go and call for Slippy," sighed Peppy, as he rose to his feet. "You know how he is when he's working on a project of his." He saw Fox frown at that comment and decided he'd better elaborate for the vulpine's benefit. "The Lylat Police sent him some Gospel weapons they uncovered from the last raid on a Gospel Army Base," elaborated Peppy. "He's supposed to analyse them and see where they came from. Well, I'd better get going. See you later, Fox!"  
    "Yeah, see you," said Fox absent-mindedly, as he sat on the bench quietly.  
    Fox suddenly smiled at the irony of the Gospel Army's name. After all, Gospel means 'Good news' and the Gospel Army, a terrorist organisation, brought nothing but bad news.  
    A scream suddenly assaulted his ears. He leapt up to his feet and ran out quickly and in doing so, tripped over something heavy and crashed face first on to the metallic floor. Fox rose up to all fours and looked behind him. "Peppy?" he exclaimed in surprise, upon seeing the old hare lying prostrate on the floor. "Peppy!" He scrambled across the floor towards the hare and turned the old lepine on to his back. "Peppy, speak to me! Peppy?"  
    Fox reached out and checked Peppy's pulse. There was something wrong with his old friend and he had no idea what it was. He rose to his feet and looked up and down the corridor. There was no one around. That was one of the major disadvantages of having such a big ship and such a small crew. He realised that he would have to take Peppy to the Med Bay all by himself or let the old timer die.  
    "Fox," croaked Peppy weakly. His voice was barely even a whisper, but luckily for the hare, months of listening to Slippy's loud music had **not** diminished Fox's keen vulpine sense of hearing. "There's something on the ship."  
    "Please, Peppy, save your breathe," Fox told the old hare, as he bent down. "Let me take you to the med bay."  
    "Fox, listen to me," said Peppy sternly, with wavering eyes, "there's something dangerous on the ship. It attacked me..."  
    "Peppy, I'll deal with it, don't you worry," promised Fox, as he placed one of Peppy's arms around his shoulder. "Let me take you to the med bay first, though. You need first aid right now." He struggled underneath the hare's weight. "Sheesh, you really need to go on a diet, old timer," said through Fox clenched teeth, as he helped Peppy down the corridor. He suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Shit, what was that?" he wondered. It had flitted past him and he only just seen it through the corner of his eyes. He looked back and began to wonder. Was there something on board?  
    "Huh?" exclaimed Fox upon hearing Peppy whisper something to him. "Oh, sure." The mysterious thing that had flitted past him had nearly distracted him from his main task, to take Peppy to the Med Bay, which was thankfully pretty close to the training room. (Fox and Falco tend to go overboard and beat each other up real badly every time they spar). "Rob!" he shouted out, as he rushed towards the Med Bay's door. "Open up!"  
    The vulpine knew that there was always one of Rob's many units waiting within the Med Bay. It was just common sense to have a first aid robot inside at all times. He waited and the door slid open in front of him.  
"Rob, I need you to take a look at Peppy here," he said, as he rushed in as fast as he could, which was only as fast as Peppy could move. "Falco?"  
    Lying on top of one of the beds was the prone body of Falco Lombardi. Standing next to him was Slippy and Krystal.  
    The blue-furred vixen was the first one to see Fox.  
"Oh my god, Fox are you all right?" she asked, as she rushed over to the vulpine.  
    "I'm fine, but Peppy here needs to be looked at," replied Fox. Krystal helped Fox drag him over towards a second bed and between the two of them and Rob, they managed to lift him on to the table. "Peppy said that something on the ship attacked him and, well..." He trailed off, not knowing what else he could say.  
    Slippy lifted Peppy's arm and examined the wrist and hand. There was nothing. He then turned Peppy's head and examined the neck.  
"Just as I thought," he murmured, upon seeing a black mark on Peppy's fur. "It's exactly like the mark on Falco's arm. Whatever attacked Peppy, also attacked Falco." He turned to Rob, a serious expression plastered on his face. "Rob, take an exudate sample from the inflamed region around Peppy's neck and let's compare it with Falco's."  
    "Slip, what do you think it is?" asked Fox curiously.  
    "I have no idea, Fox," replied Slippy with a heavy sigh. "Whatever it is, though, I might need the actual creature if I'm to be able to come up with a cure of some sort. Let's just hope that the immune system can handle the infection." He prayed that it was as simple as an infection and nothing more. If it was a poison that was causing that inflamed area, then they certainly were in a lot of trouble. "Fox, Krystal, I know it's dangerous, but would you two mind going after this creature?"  
    Krystal glanced over towards the prone body of Peppy. The old hare had always been very kind to her.  
"No, I don't mind," she replied with a shake of her head.  
    "I guess we have to go after it sooner or later," sighed Fox.  


    Fox was armed to the teeth, so much so that he looked like a one-fox-army. Perhaps he was going a bit overboard, but with a mysterious unidentifiable creature there's no telling how much weaponry you need.  
"You ready?" asked Fox, as he turned to face Krystal, whom was contrastly armed with only one weapon, namely her staff. He received one silent nod in reply. "Then let's do this."  
    Imagine the movie, Alien; it doesn't matter which one. Fox felt like he was in that movie. Sure, in the real Alien movies there wasn't a scantily clad blue-furred vixen, presumably because they were such easy targets that the aliens polished them off before the movie even started. However, his mood was no different from that of the character that Sigourney Weaver played.  
    With one swift movement, Fox lowered the infra-red goggles into place.  
"You sure you're comfortable with only that?" he asked, as he gestured towards the staff.  
    "I'm sure," replied Krystal sternly. Heck, she would have been comfortable facing down a Metroid armed with only a salad fork, but that was beside the point.  
    Something fell down past Fox and he leapt back in surprise, tripping over Krystal and bringing them both crashing down to the metallic floor. He lifted his goggles up and looked up to see a leaky pipe.  
"Don't do that," he chided the inanimate pipe, as he pointed up towards it. Then Fox realised that he had nearly crushed Krystal underneath him. He rolled off. "I'm sorry," he apologised to her.  
    "That's okay," said Krystal, as she was helped back up to her feet. She didn't mind being that close to Fox. It was, after all, the first time for seven months. "Slippy's got to get round to fixing that thing," she said, as she looked up at the pipe. What is that stuff coming out of there anyway?  
    "No idea, but it reeks," replied Fox, as he covered his nose. There was suddenly a noise and he whirled round. He aimed his gun. He opened fire. He missed.  
    Krystal lowered her staff and opened fire as well. She could just about see the movement of something black against the dark metallic floor of the corridor. Whatever it was, it was fast and it was evading her shots. She kept firing, yet it was slithering out of the way, snaking towards her and Fox.  
"We've got to get back!" she cried and that was when the black monstrosity leapt out at her.  
    Fox rushed over and pushed Krystal out of the way. The black thing hit him and he was knocked over. He crashed into the wall, breaking the infra-red goggles.  
"Shit!" he cursed angrily, before he aimed his gun and fired. The thing was retreating down the corridor, slithering away from them and out of sight. "Krystal, are you okay?" he asked the blue-furred vixen.  
    "I'm fine," replied Krystal with a nod of her head, as she got back up to her feet. She noticed Fox delving into his pockets and bringing a small box out. "Fox!" she cried at him, upon seeing him take out one white and tube-shaped stick or in laymen's terms, a cigarette. "I thought you quit!"  
    "Quit my furry arse," retorted Fox, as he put it in his mouth. "Now is not a good time to quit smoking, wouldn't you agree?" He searched his pockets and found that he had no lighter. "Damn," he said, with the cigarette still in his mouth. There was no lighter on him, so he brought out the flame-thrower he had taken out of the weapons room.  
    "Careful," warned Krystal. Too late. Fox used the flame-thrower. Krystal laughed. "Serves you right."  
    Fox glanced at the remains of the cigarette in his mouth. It was nothing but ashes now.  
"Damn," he cursed again, before spitting the charred cigarette butt out. "I guess now is the time for us to go after that thing." He got back up to his feet. The vulpine delved into his backpack and brought out a torchlight, flicking the switch. "I wish Slippy would fix the lights in this damned corridor."  
    "Go easy on him, Fox," said Krystal in the amphibian's defence. "He's only one guy, you know." She glanced around the two of them in an attempt to find out where the mysterious creature had gotten to. It couldn't have gotten far and she knew it. Her keen vulpine sense of smell could detect a faint odour that could only have belonged to that foul, mysterious creature.  


    Slippy sighed. Whatever was causing that strange inflammation, it was definitely a poison.  
"Rob, I think you should send a distress signal out and set a course for the nearest hospital," said Slippy sternly, as he looked up from the microscope. "Whatever this stuff is, it's definitely a poison and I have no idea how to combat it. What we need is a full medical staff to deal with this."  
    "The nearest planet is Katina," announced Rob, after checking the star charts. "Shall I lock the course? Caution– once the course is locked, it cannot be altered until the destination is reached."  
    "Yeah, Rob, set the autopilot to take us to Katina and lock the course," replied Slippy with a nod of his head.  


    Krystal stalked through the corridor carefully, keeping her eyes peeled for anything suspicious. With Fox backing her up, she knew that she would be safe. All that she needed to do was to be aware. Something flitted past her and she whirled round. It was nothing. There was nothing there. To her, it seemed as if the creature was playing mind games with them, as if it was sentient enough to mock them. She didn't like it one bit. Krystal didn't like what was happening one single bit.  
    "Hey, over there!" cried Fox.  
    Whirling round, Krystal aimed her staff and opened fire, firing blast after fiery blast. At the end of it, there was a huge charred region and in the middle was the black, mysterious creature.  
    "What the Hell is that?" wondered Fox, as he approached it. The creature looked like some kind of leech and it creeped him out. The thing squirmed and lunged at him. He leapt back as quickly as was possible. Krystal opened fire again and roasted it. This time, it certainly was dead.  
    "Yeah," replied Krystal with a nod of her head. Suddenly, her stomach growled and she realised that she hadn't had a thing to eat all day. "You know, this thing smells familiar," stated Krystal, as she waved a hand in front of her nostrils. "It almost smells like..." She trailed off and realised that it smelt exactly like fried Pukpuk Eggs. That was when another thought hit her. "The Pukpuk Egg!" she cried out. A frown spread across Fox's face, but Krystal didn't explain. She just ran for it.  
    "Hey, wait!" Fox called out to her, but she didn't. He sighed and then ran off after her. The vulpine noticed that she was making a beeline straight for the storage area. Why was she doing that? It didn't matter. He followed her in and looked around all the old boxes in an attempt to find out where she was. "Krystal!" he called out to her, as he made his way past the old junk. "Krystal, there you are!" He rushed straight towards her and then stopped. Fox noticed that she was standing in front of an old fridge. "Krystal, what's up?"  
    Fox waited patiently for a reply, but it did not seem that she would.  
    Krystal advanced slowly towards the fridge.  
"One year ago, I managed to get myself a real Pukpuk egg from the ShopKeeper at the Thorntail Store," stated Krystal calmly, as she reached out towards the handle. "Falco really wanted to get his hands on it, but I wouldn't let him, so I hid it in here." Her fingers wrapped around the handle. "But I forgot about it and now it's been in there for one whole year."  
    Slowly, Krystal opened the door to the fridge and found it slightly difficult to do so. Something was making the lid stick. It creaked open and her eyes widened in complete shock. Her breathe was shallow with fear and her fur was standing on end. She quickly slammed the door shut.  
    "That must have been one rotten Pukpuk egg," commented Fox. "Come on, let's jettison this thing."  
    "What if someone else comes across it?" asked Krystal curiously.  
    "It won't be able to survive space, but even if it does, we can still blast it to bits with the Great Fox's laser," stated Fox. He suddenly cried out in pain. Something bit him.  
    Krystal watched as another of the black monsters dropped down to the floor.  
"No, we destroy these things now!" she cried, as she aimed her staff down and blasted the crap out of the worm-like creature. She took all the explosives from Fox and set it around the fridge. "Come on," she called out and slung his arm over her shoulder, before she ran with him. She turned around and aimed her blaster at the explosives, before shoving Fox to the ground and diving down after him.  
    There was a terrible explosion. And that was the end of that.

**_To be continued..._**


	7. Episode 07: Ballad of Fallen Angels

Cowboy Star Fox 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

Author's Note: Star Fox and all related characters (including me) are copyrighted by Nintendo. Scales, Dinosaur Planet and all related characters are copyrighted by Rare. The Gospel Army, Dr. Jerome Kano, the Sekai Foundation and all related characters and places are copyrighted by me. Upon reading any word in this file, you hereby agree to forfeit all your rights to sue me and that I cannot be held liable for any psychological or physical damage caused by the fact that this fanfic contains swearing, graphic scenes of death and violence and the use of British-English Spelling and Grammar.

* * * * *

Episode 7: Ballad of Fallen Angels  
    Pigma sat on the other side of the elaborate desk with gold-gilded edges, with a carcinogenic cigarette in his hand. Sunlight streamed in from the heavly mullioned window, silhouetting the figure of the person sitting behind the desk in a gold-gilted chair with velvet arm rests and back cushion.  
    "I wish you would quit that nasty habit," growled the figure opposite Pigma. "As if being fat wasn't enough, do you have to smoke those things?"  
    The fat porcine took another puff of his cigarette, before removing the smouldering white stick from his mouth.  
"As you said, I'm going to die from a heart attack anyway, so what's the problem?" he asked the figure on the other side of his desk.  
    "You do know they can also make you impotent, don't you?" asked the figure on the other side of the desk. "Of course, in your case that would probably be a good thing. No sane woman alive would want to see you in the nude." There was a silent pause, as the figure reached out for a crystal glass and raised it to his furry muzzle.  
    Most people knew this person as General Ookami, the Leader of the Gospel Army, but Pigma Dengar knew him by another name.  
    Ookami drained the glass of its clear, brown liquid and then placed it back on the desk. A smile spread across his furry muzzle.  
"Pigma, this is about Fox, isn't it?" he asked the fat porcine.  
    "How'd you know?" asked Pigma in complete surprise.  
    Ookami laughed, as he rose from his seat and walked around the desk towards Pigma. His voice had a thick, rich and cultured tone to it, as if he had been well educated. It sounded very much like the accent with which Krystal spoke in– a Cerinian accent.  
"Look into my eyes, Pigma," said Ookami, as he placed his arms on either arm of Pigma's chair and leaned in close towards the porcine. The grey-furred wolf looked straight into Pigma with his eyes that were so dark brown, they were almost black.  
    Incidentally, the military uniform he wore was also black but not of the same pitch black as his pupils. It was a Neo-Napoleonic-style military uniform with red cuffs and a red collar decorated with gold thread. A white cape that was purple on the inner side was draped over the left shoulder and threaded through the left tassel-decorated epaulette of his jacket. And in the round collar that stuck up and seemed to cover his throat and suffocate him, was a white cravat.  
    "You know that one of them is a fake, don't you?" asked Ookami curiously. "Well, let me tell you this. One eye sees the future, the other sees the past."  
    "Wolf, don't creep me out like that," protested Pigma, as he tried his best to shrink away from the General.  
    Ookami, better known as Wolf O'Donnell, laughed as he backed off.  
"Pigma, let me tell you this," he said, as he walked back round to his side of his desk, "McCloud is no fool. No matter what you do, you will not be able to kill him." He reached up and undid the clasp of his epaulette and took the cape off, slinging it over the back of his chair. Wolf then sat back into his chair. "That honour is reserved for me and for me alone. Only I can kill Fox McCloud."  
    Wolf closed his eyes and smiled, as he placed his gloved hands on his desk. It seemed as if he was meditating or in deep thought.  
"If you ever try to kill him, that will be the end of you, Pigma," he told the porcine. "Your actions will never amount to anything, Pigma, and nor will you. Don't forget that. Don't ever forget who is in charge. Now, please leave. I have much work to get on with."  
    "Sure," replied Pigma, as he rose up from his seat. He took his cigarette and stubbed it against O'Donnell's desk and left it there. "I'll show you," he grumbled under his breath quietly, as he left O'Donnell's elaborate office. "McCloud will die and I know just the person to get rid of him."

* * * * *

    Fara rounded the corner and stopped dead in her tracks. Sitting next to Fox's hospital bed was none other than the blue-furred vixen, Krystal.  
"Oh, I see you're here, Krystal," said Fara, as she made her way into the hospital room. For a moment, she ignored the fact that it was Krystal sitting beside Fox, her Fox. "So, how is he?"  
    "He's stable now," replied Krystal abruptly. The vixen had never liked the large-eared Fennec fox. Something about Fara really bugged Krystal. She thought she heard Fara mumble something unsettling, but she dismissed it. What she didn't need at that moment was to get into some kind of cat fight with the Fennec Fox. "Oh, flowers, how original," stated Krystal sarcastically, as she watched Fara place them down on the bedside table.  
    "I didn't see you bring anything better," retorted Fara, as she looked around the room. It was almost as if the vixen hadn't brought a single gift, but she knew that the flowers in the nearby vase could only have been from Krystal as Katinan Hospitals were far too cheap to decorate a patient's room with flowers. "Slut," she murmured under her breath.  
    "That describes you pretty well," said Krystal spitefully.  
    Fara's large ears weren't there just for decoration purposes and she heard every word that Krystal said.  
"You take that back!" she shouted at Krystal, as she grabbed the blue-furred vixen by the collar of her jacket. "You take that back, you boyfriend stealing whore!"  
    "Hey, the only whore around here is you," retorted Krystal angrily, and received a slap on the face in response. "Let go of me, bitch!" Outraged by this, she slapped Fara on the face.  
    "Bitch?" shrieked Fara in disbelief.  
    "And so I tell the guy to..." continued Bill, only to trail off, as he stopped at the doorway. His eyes were wide in disbelief. "Fara, Krystal, what the Hell do you two think you're doing?" he practically screamed. They didn't listen. "Stop that!" he cried, as he rushed towards them and tried to separate the two of them. He grabbed Fara's wrist and attempted to prevent the Fennec fox from clobbering Krystal in the blue-furred face. "Hey, Slip, come in and give me a hand here!" he shouted.  
    Krystal took this opportunity. She flung a punch straight at Fara.  
    "Let go of me," cried Fara, as she pulled her wrist away from Bill.  
    Bill saw a blue-furred fist head straight for his face, but was unable to dodge it in time.  
    The two vixens looked down at Bill, lying prone on the tiled floor. They then looked back up at each other and sparks of pure hatred seemed to fly from between their eyes.  
"This is your fault!" they screamed at each other simultaneously. "My fault?" The two then screamed at each other again, blaming the other for knocking the grey-furred dog unconscious. Fara and Krystal then went for each other's throats again, yelling insults at one and another.  
    Slippy stood at the door in complete disbelief. He had never seen something like this since Fara and Katt last had a cat-fight.  
"I'll just go get a nurse," he said, as he backed out of Fox's room. The amphibian didn't get very far, however, before bumping into someone. He backed off and whirled round. "Oh, I'm sorry, Nurse..." He trailed off and looked for her name badge. "...Julia."  
    The nurse was a blonde-haired light brown-furred mouse and was pretty short. In fact, she was as short as Slippy, if such a thing was possible.  
"That's okay," said Nurse Julia with a smile on her face, "but next time be more careful." There was suddenly a loud crash from within Fox's room. "What the Heck is going on in there?" cried Nurse Julia. "Would you excuse me for a moment?" She rushed straight past the frog.  
    What Julia saw within the room was beyond disbelief. She rolled up her sleeves in a determined manner and stormed straight towards Fara and Krystal. The mouse then reached up and grabbed them both by the ears and pulled them away from Fox's bed and straight out of the room like a mother pulling a naughty child away from a forbidden cookie jar.  
"What did you two think you were doing?" she cried angrily. "This, if you haven't noticed, is a hospital and it is proper conduct for people in a hospital to be quiet in respect of the patients."  
    The glare the Nurse gave the two vixens was the Universal glare of a mother that was 'very disappointed' in her child and this had the same effect on the two as it would have on any child.  
"I think that it would be best for you to leave now," stated Julia sternly. Her arms were crossed and there was a stern look on her face.  
    The look on the nurse's face was unmistakable to Krystal. She had seen such a look on the face of her mother before.  
"Very well," she agreed with a nod of her head. "I'll be leaving now."  
    A frown suddenly appeared on the nurse's head. For the first time she recognised the jewelry the vixen wore on her head. It was Cerinian in style.  
"Wait a minute, aren't you from the Planet Cerinia?" the mouse asked Krystal.  
    "That's right," exclaimed Krystal in surprise, as she turned round to face Julia. "How did you know?" She couldn't quite understand it. No Lylatian knew about Cerinia so how was it that this nurse knew about her home planet? "Were you from Cerinia as well?"  
    Nurse Julia shook her head in reply.  
"No, I'm from the Sekai Foundation, actually," replied Julia. "However, I did visit the planet once when I was younger. It was a very nice planet. Very nice climate too. It's such a shame what happened to it."  
    "Yes," replied Krystal, as she lowered her head. She could still remember that awful day when she fled from the Planet Cerinia. Everyone had died. Absolutely everyone was wiped out. That included her friends and her family. Slowly, tears began to form. "Would you excuse me?" she asked, before she dashed off past the nurse.  
    Julia watched as Krystal ran down the corridor. The mouse suspected the blue-furred vixen of something and she knew exactly what it could have been. She made a mental note to keep any eye on that girl and confirm her suspicions about the blue-furred fox.  
    "Excuse me, Nurse Julia, will Fox be all right?" asked Slippy, as he approached the mouse.  
    "He'll be fne, Mr. Toad," replied Julia with a nod of her head and a large smile on her face. "Don't you worry about him. I expect that he'll be his old self again in no time."  


    As Falco lay there in bed, he began to wonder how the Star Fox Team would cope. It stank being kept in over night. Sure, it was just to make sure that the poison had been completely cleared from his body and that there were no complications, but he hated it. The avian would rather have been chasing down a badguy and Katina was full of them. He knew that Katina was a favourite area of operations for the Lylat Syndicate.  
    The avian began to wonder how Fox and Peppy were doing. They were poisoned after him, so they shouldn't have ended up worse off. Still, Peppy was old and that was a drawback for the hare.  
    "Hey there, Falco," purred a sultry voice that Falco recognised all too well.  
    "Katt?" exclaimed Falco in complete surprise, as he turned to face the feline. "What are you doing here?"  
    The pink-furred feline sighed and shook her head, as she made her way towards the avian's bed. Every time they met it was the same old routine, especially whenever Falco was near the other guys.  
"Is that anyway to greet a girl?" she asked Falco. "I just thought that I'd come to pay you a visit now. There's no harm in that, now is there, sugar bean?"  
    She pulled up a chair and sat down right beside Falco.  
"So, did ya' hear about the bounty I managed to snag me last week?" asked Katt, as she leaned in close to the avian. "It was a real big 'un for sure. Five hundred thousand Zenny." To Katt, catching criminals was like a competition between her and Falco and somehow, she always managed to land larger rewards than Falco. "You know," began Katt, as she slowly traced circles on Falco's chest, "I could split my recent reward with you, sugar."  
    "No thanks, Katt," replied Falco spitefully. "Knowing you, there'd be strings attached."  
    Katt couldn't understand it. Why was Falco so spiteful towards her? He had been like this for so long that she couldn't imagine him in any other way. But she wanted him to be different.  
"Falco, I like you," she told him. "Why can't you see that? Why are you so cold to me, Falco?" She shook her head in disbelief, her head lowering. "I love you, sugar, but why can't you love me back?"  
    There was suddenly a loud explosion that rocked the hospital. An alarm suddenly went off and it was deafeningly loud.  
    "Oh my, what was that?" exclaimed Katt, as she rose from her seat. "I reckon I'd better get going and see what all that commotion was about." But Falco didn't hear, as the alarm drowned out her words. "Now you stay put, Falco. I'll be right back, I promise." Falco protested against her actions but she didn't listen and couldn't have listened, as by the time he had opened his beak she was already gone.  
    She was already half-way down the corridor when she saw the smoke. It was thick and black and it drifted through the corridor like a dark serpent. Water sprayed down from the ceiling, from the activated sprinklers. It drenched everything. Through the spray, Katt could see a familiar looking amphibian not too far away.  
"Hey, Slippy!" she shouted over the din of the alarm, but still couldn't be heard. "Slippy!" she screamed.  
    "Hey, Miss, you'd better get out of here!" shouted a Nurse, as she brushed past Katt. She grabbed Katt and started dragging her away. "Miss!" she screamed, but it was no use. She could hardly be heard oer the alarm.  
    "Let go of me!" protested Katt, but she couldn't be heard over the racket. "Let go of me!"  


    Bill looked up at the smoke that billowed out of the hospital building and the fires that raged within. Half in and half out of the car, he just looked up at the smoking wreckage of the hospital room in complete disbelief.  
"That was Fox's room, wasn't it?" he asked Fara, as he looked upwards. And he heard the sound of the sirens screaming mournfully from the building. And Bill felt nothing but despair.  
    It was an incapacitating sorrow and it made him as solid as a stone statue. All life seemed to flow out of his body, as he saw the flames rage within the hospital. His eyes turned lifeless and lost their glistening sheen. Bill was silent in fear. The canine's mind was silent and it was as still as he was.  
    How bitter despair tastes. It is like a foul poison that leaves a nasty taste in the mouth and strangles all life out of the body. So it was with Bill. So it was with Fara. So it was with all those that looked on. What was it that drove people to bomb innocent lives into oblivion? What was the reason for attacking a hospital full of people that couldn't possibly defend themselves? And who would sell such parts of explosives to such people?  
    "Damn those Gospel bastards," growled Bill all of a sudden. He slammed the door shut and quickly ran towards the hospital unbidden. Fox needed saving. The hospital staff needed saving. More importantly, the patients needed saving.  
    Yet how sad it is that, in a world where speech is possible, people have to kill in order to get anyone to notice them. Perhaps action speaks louder than words and nothing is more potent than 'boom'.

**_To be continued..._**


	8. Episode 08: Diggin'

Cowboy Star Fox 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

WARNING: This fanfic will contain swearing, graphic scenes of death and violence and the use of British-English Spelling and Grammar. If any of these things offend you or if you are underaged, please do not read any further. Upon reading any word or letter in this file, you hereby agree to forfeit all your rights to sue me and that I cannot be held liable for any psychological or physical damage caused by the contents of this fanfic. Star Fox and all related characters (including me) are copyrighted by Nintendo. Scales, Dinosaur Planet and all related characters are copyrighted by Rare. The Gospel Army, Dr. Jerome Kano, the Sekai Foundation and all related characters and places are copyrighted by me.

* * * * *

Episode 8: Diggin'  
    The bomb had torn through the hospital building. A gaping hole was all that was left of Fox's room; the rooms on either side of his, the room above and the room below had been decimated by the blast. The room above Fox's had caved in and crashed into Fox's, the force of which had caused the floor to collapse and the whole room to collapse into the one on the ground floor below.  
    Bill picked up the chunk of what had once been wall and moved it best he could away from the pile of rubble. He had been searching through the rubble for hours for any survivors. All he had done was to dig up six bodies. Four of which had been patients, two of which had been hospital staff.  
"Make that seven," he muttered under his breath, as he removed another piece of concrete.  
    Gazing up lifelessly and sightlessly from the rubble was the nurse that had been attending to Fox, Julia. Blood stained her once delicate features and the look on her eyes was one of pure terror. Bill reached out slowly towards Julia's face and closed her eyelids for the final time.  
    Julia. Bill knew Julia quite well. She was an undercover officer working within the hospital. Julia was on lone from the Special Tactics Agency of the Sekai Foundation to help the Lylat Alliance combat against the evils of the Lylat Syndicate. She was a smart young lady, always keen to help out and show off what she knew. Some called her smart, others called her pretentious. However, none underestimated what she could do. Julia could always be counted on to get things done.  
    A small smile spread across Bill's face, as he remembered her attitude. Julia was like some kind of motherly figure, even before she worked undercover at the hospital. She was caring and would always help those in need. Julia would always stop for those that had been wounded in action and help them. The way she applied iodine to possibly infected wounds was with a care similar to that of a mother for her child.  
    He could remember arriving at his desk once, to find it completely cleared of its clutter and to find that everything had been organised so neatly that even he could find it, despite having the organisational skills of crab grass. Whenever other people had tried to organise his desk, he would never find be able to find documents or the things he needed afterwards. It was as if the people deliberately hid essential items from him. With Julia, it was as if she knew how he thought. Everything was organised, yet everything was where he expected it to be.  
    It seemed to Bill that Julia always seemed to be there for him or those that needed her. Somehow, she always knew their birthdays and would always send a thoughtfully chosen birthday card, along with a gift that made one wonder whether she could read minds. There was almost always a smile on her face. She delighted in her work. She delighted in helping others. Her laugh was like sunshine itself and the glint in her eyes was one of vitality, even maybe of a little bit of mischief.  
    Though Bill loved her because of her qualities. He loved her as a friend. Now she was dead. Now her small pranks would never brighten their day. Her body, which had once been warm and caring, was now cold and unmoving. She was dead. What was worse was that her work, her findings were gone. Any information she held on the Syndicate's illegal activities within the hospital were gone.  
    "Bill."  
    The grey-furred canine turned round and saw Fox standing not too far away from him. A small, faint smile spread across Bill's face, but it was not what could be called a genuine smile.  
"Fox, what are you doing here?" he asked his best friend curiously. "You should be with the other patients." He looked back at Julia out of the corner of his eyes. "Go back, Fox."  
    "Bill, it's no use," Fox told his canine friend. "You're not going to find anymore people in there." He made his way cautiously across the rubble and peered down at the face that lay within the concrete. "Nurse Julia," he muttered under his breath. "Bill," he said out loud, "I think you should stop now. There's no point in carrying on, besides, there couldn't have been that many people lost in the explosion anyway."  
    Fox had thought it a miracle that he had survived the explosion, or perhaps some Act of God. He had only gone out for a 'quick whizz', as he so kindly put it, and then the bomb had exploded, killing and wounding like all bombs do. That bomb was meant for him, surely, yet he was the one that had survived.  
"You know, it's kind of ironic when you think about it," said Fox with a smirk on his muzzle. "Someone tried to kill my father with a bomb, but it ended up killing my mother instead. Now someone's tried to kill me with a bomb and it ends up killing other innocent people."  
    The vulpine sighed, as he sat down on a piece of former ceiling.  
"Perhaps its some kind of cruel joke," he mused to himself. "My family's enemies always come after the male members with bombs, but end up hurting other people, innocent people that don't deserve to die that way. I think this strange fate is my family's legacy, an heirloom passed down through the generations." He laughed bitterly at that thought. "I'm like some kind of black hole. Everything around me is drawn and sucked into danger. Perhaps it would be better if I lived alone, if nobody knew me, then nobody would get hurt."  
    Another thought occurred to him. Would his son, if he ever had one, suffer the same fate?  
"Or perhaps, it would be best if I didn't live at all," he muttered under his breath. "Why should I continue living when all these innocent people are dying all around me?"  
    "Fox, it's not your fault," protested Bill with a shake of his head. He strode over and sat down beside Fox, placing a hand on the shoulder of his best friend. "You couldn't have known. Nobody could have known. If it is anyone's fault, it's those Gospel bastards." An angry expression spread across Bill's face when he thought of the Gospel Army and how they terrorised the citizens of Lylat in an attempt to bring down the Lylat Alliance. "They're such cowards. If only we could take down that organisation once and for all."  
    Yet Bill had this nagging feeling that Gospel wasn't behind this attack. The bomb attack didn't display the Gospel Army's usual characterstics. The Gospel Army usually worked through suicide bombings to ensure that no one could be arrested over the bombings. Another characteristic of Gospel Army bombings, was that they usually attacked military complexes or anything to do with Lylat Alliance. Civilians were hardly targeted. The only targets were military personnel from the Lylat Alliance. As far as Bill knew, there were none in this hospital.  
    Fox didn't say another thing. He just sat there quietly, thinking about all the events that had happened in his life. The vulpine thought about the events of how his mother had died, when his father died and when Andross started to invade the Lylat System, one planet after another. It was then that Fox thought about the Gospel Army and how it... Fox's thoughts trailed off right there. It was then that he realised something.  
    The Gospel Army's attacks on the Lylat System mirrored those by the Venomian Army. Both had attacked the same places in the same order. It seemed to him that the Gospel Army was mocking him. Or was he looking too deeply into the situation?  
    A sigh escaped Fox's furry muzzle.  
"Have you checked Julia's records?" he asked Bill. He too knew about Julia's true purpose within the hospital. The vulpine had a sneaking suspicion that the bomb might not have been meant for him. Perhaps it was meant for Julia. "Perhaps she was getting too close to the Syndicate member in this hospital."  
    Bill shook his head in reply.  
"Fara's went to search for it, but it's missing," replied the canine. A thought suddenly occurred to him, one that gave evidence to support that Gospel didn't carry out the bombing. "It's as if whoever planted the bomb knew about Julia. I'm thinking that the bomb was meant for Julia, not for you." That did not surprise him. The Syndicate liked to get rid of inconvenient people through bombs and putting the blame on terrorist organisations. It was their way of doing things. Perhaps this attack was by the Syndicate, not Gospel. He glanced back towards Julia's body, which still lay within the rubble. "Poor Julia," he muttered under his breath.  


    Fara marched in to find that Caiman was not in his cell. She turned round to face a passing police officer.  
"Hey!" she called to the bloodhound. "What happened to Caiman?"  
    "Oh, that Krystal girl took him off to Room 101," replied the officer.  
    It looked to Fara that Krystal had already beaten her to the punch. Well, she would see whether the blue-furred vixen was doing things right. Fara didn't know why, but she had always felt disdain for Krystal the very moment she had laid eyes on the Cerinian. She had always thought that too many girls wanted Fox and with the addition of Krystal... Well, Fara certainly didn't like the additional competition.  
    "Tell me!" Fara heard Krystal scream from down the corridor.  
    The Fennec fox rushed over to Room 101 and rushed in through a side-door that led behind the two-way mirror.  
"How's she doing?" asked Fara, as she approached a police officer that was standing within the small room. Fara turned her head and looked through the two-way mirror at Krystal.  
    "She's doing okay," replied the officer, "but she hasn't got him to talk at all. Not surprising, really. None of us have been able to get him to talk about the Syndicate."  
    Within Room 101, Krystal was doing her best to interrogate Caiman and it wasn't half-bad, if by interrogation you meant intimidation.  
"Look, Caiman, a lot of lives are resting on what you know," snarled Krystal sternly. "You either tell me what I want to know, or I beat it out of you." She anticipated his next statement, so she quickly said, "And remember, I'm not from the police, so I can beat the shit out of you whenever I like. Got that?" She received one silent nod from the reptile in reply. "Now is the Syndicate supplying explosives to the Gospel Army?"  
    "You don't understand," protested Caiman with a shake of his head. "The Syndicate's got agents everywhere. If I tell you, its secrets, they'll kill me for sure!"  
    A sigh escaped Krystal's muzzle.  
"Look, we'll provide you with protection if you tell," said Krystal through clenched teeth. "I promise you, once you've told us all you know, we'll be able to take down the Syndicate once and for all. Now are you going to selfishly risk thousands of innocent lives just for your own?" There was a silent pause, as if Caiman was thinking up of a reply. Quickly, Krystal thought about whom she could compare Caiman to.  
    Out from her memory, she remembered Peppy telling her about someone called Pigma Dengar. She could remember Peppy's spiteful account of how the pig had betrayed the Star Fox Team to Andross and the continued to work for the mad scientist.   
"I'd have expected such selfish behaviour from a fat bastard like Pigma, but from you?" stated Krystal firmly. Mentally, she crossed her fingers and hoped for the best. Would it work?  
    "Okay, I'll tell," agreed Caiman, "but will you promise that I'll get police protection?"  
    Krystal nodded in reply.   
"I promise," she told Caiman. "Where is the Syndicate based? Is the Syndicate supplying explosives to the Gospel Army?"  
    "The Syndicate's based in Corneria City," replied Caiman cautiously. "It's inside the Kleinfelter Plaza in the city centre." He paused a while, taking in deep breaths. It was difficult to spill the Syndicate's best kept secrets and frightening. After all, he was risking his life and the Syndicate had ways of killing traitors that made death look like a blessing.  
    "What about the explosives?" asked Krystal sternly. "Is the Syndicate supplying explosives to Gospel?"  
    Caiman smiled nervously. He then realised that it was probably impossible for them to take down the entire Syndicate. Caiman knew the truth and he realised that the Lylat Police was only one organisation and simply wasn't large enough at that.  
"In a way, I guess the Syndicate is," came his mysterious reply. How was it that he had forgotten about Gospel's relationship with the Syndicate? Now such forgetfulness looked as if it would cost him his life. "I don't think I can tell you anymore," he protested with a shake of his head. I'll be dead for sure if I continue."  
    Krystal grabbed Caiman by the lapels of his shirt.  
"You'll be dead now if you don't talk," retorted Krystal. A thought entered her mind. Why had Caiman changed his mind all of a sudden? Was the Syndicate really that frightening and if so, why had he blabbed in the first place?  
    "You can't win against the Syndicate," protested Caiman quickly. "Even if you get rid of its Leader, another will take his place." He was suddenly lifted out of his shirt until his eyes were level with Krystal's. Caiman could see the determination in those eyes of hers. They seemed to burn with a passion, a passion to destroy the Syndicate and all it stood for. "No! No more. I can't tell you anymore."  
    "You have to!"  
    The door to the room suddenly opened and Fara stepped in, closing the door silently behind her.  
"Caiman, what is it that scares you so much?" asked Fara curiously. "That the Syndicate might have operatives in the Lylat Police? That some of the officers here are on their payroll?"  
    "Fara? What are you doing here?" asked Krystal curiously.  
    A smile spread across Fara's muzzle.  
"It looked like you needed a helping hand," replied Fara. She grabbed Caiman's chair and motioned for Krystal to let go, which she did. Fara pushed the seat back underneath Caiman and held him down there with one hand. "Look, Caiman, we figured out on our own that the Gospel Army and the Lylat Syndicate are in cahoots with each other. We figured out on our own that the Syndicate is selling explosives to Gospel, that it's selling weapons to Gospel. If you tell us more, no one will be the wiser."  
    Caiman shook his head.  
"You don't understand," he told her. "Gospel has its agents everywhere." He suddenly realised his mistake.  
    "What do you mean, Gospel?" asked Krystal curiously.  
    "What does it matter now? I'm going to die anyway," he muttered to himself. Caiman looked up at Krystal and then at Fara. "The Gospel Army owns the Lylat Syndicate," he told them. "The Syndicate is the Gospel Army. They're both two elements of the same organisation."

* * * * *

    They all shone brightly. Each one was a monitor and each monitor had a different display. Some displayed text. Others displayed graphs and charts. Two displayed the inside of what looked like an operating room. One displayed the face of a person.  
    "Studies on the A-Virus are progressing well, sir," said the person on the monitor. "Due to the virus' unusual non-sepcificity, it is able to infect more than one type of cell and more than one species. If used correctly, we will be able to use the A-Virus against the Lylat Alliance and crush it."  
    "The Gospel Army will not operate in that way," said a second voice from the person sitting in front of the monitors. "The A-Virus is of no use to us if used on an entire population. It seems to me that you do not understand what the Gospel Army's true intentions are."  
    "Of course, I understand," protested the person on the monitor. "It is to avenge the destruction of our home planet, Cerinia."  
    "Our home planet? Cerinia is not my home planet." The person in the room full of monitors sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Yes, that was what the Cerinian People's Organisation was for, but when I took over it and turned it into the Gospel Army, the organisation's objectives changed." The man in the monitor room chuckled. "I see no reason for us to live in the past and avenging a planet that no longer exists. You see, I intend to wipe out all life from the Lylat System so that we can establish a new order and a new race. With the A-Virus as a gene vector, I shall be able to create the ultimate lifeform and populate all of Lylat with it. We shall create a new future, one ruled by the Gospel Army!"  
    "Can't you see the glory of our new purpose?" continued the person in the room full of monitors and electrical equipment. "We shall create a new race subservient to the Gospel Army alone. It will be a superior race incapable of hate, incapable of sorrow and of evil. This new race will have none of the faults and misgivings of the current races. They will be like Gods! Can you not see how much better our new goal is than petty revenge?"  
    "Yes, sir," came the stuttered reply.  
    A smile appeared on the face of the person that sat in the room full of monitors. It was a devious smile, a frightening and evil smile and the glint in his eyes displayed a hint of insanity.  
"Then continue as planned," said the person in the room full of monitors. "Nothing must stop the great Gospel Army and nothing shall! The Super Race shall populate this pitiful solar system!"

**_To be continued..._**


	9. Episode 09: Too Good Too Bad

Cowboy Star Fox 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

WARNING: This fanfic will contain swearing, graphic scenes of death and violence and the use of British-English Spelling and Grammar. If any of these things offend you or if you are underaged, please do not read any further. Upon reading any word or letter in this file, you hereby agree to forfeit all your rights to sue me and that I cannot be held liable for any psychological or physical damage caused by the contents of this fanfic. Star Fox and all related characters (including me) are copyrighted by Nintendo. Scales, Dinosaur Planet and all related characters are copyrighted by Rare. The Gospel Army, Dr. Jerome Kano, the Sekai Foundation and all related characters and places are copyrighted by me.

* * * * *

Episode 9: Too Good Too Bad  
    A whole bunch of men wearing black trenchcoats marched through the corridor. On the breastpocket of their trenchcoats was a symbol– a dark red G made up of straight lines within a black square-shaped diamond, against a circular white background. They were from the Gospel Army.  
    At the front was the elaborately dressed General of the Gospel Army, Ookami, otherwise known as Wolf O'Donnell. Suddenly, he stopped and motioned them to stop with a white-gloved hand. He gestured silently for them to move into a set position and then continued, his white cape trailing behind him. One hand reached for the hilt of a sabre, sheathed in a scabbard he wore around his waist.  
    With one swift movement, he unsheathed it and burst through the doors at the end of the corridor. His Gospel lackies followed him into the room. Wolf looked around him sternly with his two eyes– one real, one fake. The room was unusually empty and silent. The lupine didn't like this one bit.  
    "I knew that you would betray me one day, Wolf," chuckled a squealing voice from the balcony. Pigma walked out onto the balcony of the room and then gestured silently. His lackies emerged from their hiding places and surrounded Wolf and his posse. "Every day I would obey your blasted orders, while your Gospel Army stifled my Syndicate's operations. If it weren't for you and Gospel, we'd be filthy rich by now."  
    An angry snarl spread across Wolf's face.  
"Me? Betray you?" he spat back angrily. He laughed bitterly at Pigma's choice of words. "I think not! It was you that betrayed me. You betrayed my trust, Pigma. I told you not to go after Fox McCloud, but what did you do?" Slowly, he re-sheathed his sabre, one that had been given to him when he graduated from the Lylat Flight Academy. He saw no need to have it drawn. "Tell me, Pigma, what did you think you could achieve by blatantly disobeying my orders?" He looked around him at Pigma's lackies, all of whom had their guns pointed at him and the Gospel members.  
    "Lower your weapons!" Wolf shouted at the Syndicate thugs. "That is a direct order!" They did not respond to him and that made Wolf even angrier. "Lower your weapons now or you will severely regret it." It was no use. Why would they not obey him? He was the Syndicate's true master, so why would they not obey him? "I see," he said more calmly, as a smile slowly formed on his muzzle, "so you have managed to trick them into siding with you, huh?" He chuckled mordantly, as he realised the reality of the situation. "So what will you do now, that you have me captured? Will you attempt to destroy the Gospel Army and make it your own, like I did with the Syndicate? Or will you kill me now?"  
    A devious smile appeared on Pigma's face. On a side note, it must be pointed out that it was the same smile that had appeared on his lips when he first betrayed James McCloud to Andross.  
"You will die when I deem it fit," replied Pigma smugly. "As for now, you shall be held captive, until I have thought up of a proper punishment for you. Wolf, you will be made an example of for all of Gospel to see."

* * * * *

    It had taken a week of preparation, but it was now all set.  
    A smile spread across Falco's beak, as he thought of how they would now be able to take down the Lylat Syndicate once and for all. He had worked hard, ever since he left Star Fox, to fight against the Lylat Syndicate and avenge the death of his friend. Falco took the burning cancer stick from his beak and breathed out a plume of smoke. He could remember how his friend had been caught between a gun fight between the Syndicate and a rival crime gang. Ever since that day, Falco had vowed to avenge his friend's death.  
    "You should really quit, you know," said Katt, as she holstered her gun. "Those things can make you go impotent, you know."  
    "No! Really?" exclaimed Falco sincerely. "You're yanking my chain."  
    Katt shook her head.  
"No, it's true," she told Falco. "I read about it in a magazine once. Smoking can increase your chance of getting a heart disease and hardened arteries. People with heart diseases and hardened arteries tend to be impotent."  
    The avian looked at the cigarette and then at Katt. Which would was better? To ease his nicotine craving or to not be impotent? Falco dropped the cigarette and stepped on it.  
"Maybe I should quit," he said thoughtfully, before taking his gun from the table and putting it into his holster. He looked up at the ceiling, as he shoved the gun in. "Hm, I wonder why the sprinklers didn't go off?" Falco sighed and shook his head. "Trust them to get the cheap sprinklers," he sighed.  
    The anticipation was starting to get to Falco. It was like a drug that intoxicated his every senses. He could hear the blood pumping through his body. He could taste the anticipation in his mouth. It thrilled him, making him eager for the actual bust on the Syndicate. Not since the invasion of Venom had he felt like this.  
    "So, you ready for this one, Katt?" he asked the pink-furred feline.  
    "Couldn't be more ready, sugar."  
    Falco smiled at Katt.  
"Then let's get going," he suggested, as he went for the door. He opened the door and held it open and gestured with a feathered hand. "After you."  


    "Fox."  
    The red-furred vulpine turned round and saw Krystal standing not too far away. This was awkward. Fox had a feeling that he knew what Krystal was here to talk to him about. Ever since he had been poisoned a week ago, Fox avoided Krystal like the plague. He feared what she would ask him and what she wanted from him.  
"Hey, Krystal," he greeted the blue-furred vixen awkwardly.  
    "Fox, I have to talk to you about something," stated Krystal sternly, not taking her eyes away from Fox. It seemed as if she was gazing into his eyes and past them, deep into his mind and his soul. "I want to know something. Do you love me?" She waited a while and received no reply for a while. "I mean, do you really, truly love me?"  
    "Of course I do," replied Fox. "What ever made you think I didn't?" He saw her turn her head away from him and lower her gaze. Why did she do that? Fox had no idea and was beginning to wonder where this would lead. Would Krystal do as he feared and ask about his relationship with Fara?  
    "I think I know why," he said, after a while of silence. Fox could still remember how they had bickered over him at the hospital. Though he had his eyes closed at the time, he could still hear them and how they argued. "The truth is, I'm not sure which one of you I love more," he told Krystal truthfully. "Sure, I love you, but Fara..." He sighed and shook his head. Fox knew how unfair it was for the both of them, but he just couldn't decide. "She's clearly jealous of you and I can see why."  
    Krystal had this feeling that Fox was skirting around the true subject. She could tell that he was unwilling to talk about it and that was what infuriated her.  
"Fox, am I your girlfriend or not?" asked Krystal, her voice slightly wavering in fear. The blue-furred vixen feared that Fox would say no and that she would end up without a boyfriend. "I'm not, am I? You don't see me as a girlfriend, do you?"  
    Fox exhaled sharply through his cold, wet nose.  
"I've always been more concerned about my line of work," he told Krystal in a vague manner. "My work has always been foremost in my mind, so I always took my girlfriends for granted. I never thought much about them, to tell you the truth." He sat down on a bench and motioned for Krystal to join him. When she sat down, he continued, "Then I met you, Krystal. You were the most beautiful fox I'd ever seen."  
    A smile spread across Fox's muzzle, as he thought about when he first saw her on the top of Krazoa Palace.  
"You took my breath away," he told her. When he first met Krystal, Fara had already dumped him in order to take on a job within the Lylat Police. "Yeah, we were definitely an item then, weren't we?"  
    "Yeah," replied Krystal with nod of her head.  
    "And then I took you to meet my other friends and Fara was with them," stated Fox. He shook his head at that memory. "I'm not sure what was up with her, but she seemed so jealous of you. I guess she thought that when I came back, we could get back together, but she saw you with me." Fox clasped his hands together and looked down at the floor, staring at the space between his boots. "I guess, ever since I wanted to make things up with her. After all, I dumped her as well."  
    Fox laughed and it was a short, sharp laugh that faded as quickly as it had began.  
"Since then, you've both been fighting over my heart," he continued. He turned to look at her. "Krystal, I do love you, but the way things are going... I'm just real confused. I feel as if I love you, but I think I might still have feelings for Fara." He sighed. "My feelings are a mess. I guess, ever since my father passed away, they've always been a mess."  
    "Fox..." began Krystal, but she didn't get a chance to continue.  
    "I know," interrupted Fox, "it's unfair on you and it's unfair on Fara and all three of us." A thought went through Fox's mind. Would this be a repeat of how he dumped Fara? He could remember the reasons he gave, of how he wouldn't be able to support her due to the Star Fox Team's financial crisis. Fox had thought it best, if they went their separate ways. "Perhaps I should just stop dating. It'll make things easier on all of us."  
    A myriad of thoughts was going through Krystal's mind, as Fox talked. She really loved him. Krystal really did have feelings for him and could see through to his inner beauty. The vixen could see him for what he truly was. She knew him to be caring, kind and even gentle. She knew his passion for justice. She knew he would do anything for her. Krystal felt that there was something special about this fox and she wanted to be with him. Yet, could she be with a fox that may not even fully reciprocate her love?  
    "Fox," began Krystal, as a Cerinian saying went through her mind, "you know that neither Fara nor I will give up so easily, don't you?" She received a silent nod in reply. Krystal smiled at him. "Perhaps we could start all over from the beginning," she suggested.  
    "But..."  
    Krystal placed a furry finger against his muzzle, silencing him.  
"Fox, don't," she told him with a small shake of her head. "Can't you see that I love you? Sure, there's things that I'd drawn the line at. If you were already dating Fara, I'd dump you just like that. But you're not, are you? I know you, Fox. You're not the type to be dating two girls at once." She rose from the bench. "Let's start all over again from the beginning. I'll win your heart over."  
    The door to the training room suddenly opened and Peppy stuck his head round the corner of the frame.  
"Fox, Krystal, there you are!" he exclaimed. "I've been looking all over for you two. We've been asked to move out."  
    So, the raid was going to begin.  
    Fox smiled.  
"Okay, I'll see you there, Pep," said Fox with a nod of his head. He turned to face Krystal. "Shall we?"  
    "Let's," agreed Krystal with a nod of her head.

* * * * *

    The place looked like a dungeon. It was a dungeon.  
    The walls were bare, except for the chains that hung from it. No doubt many that had displeased the Syndicate had been chained down there and tortured, possibly to the point of death itself. No light filtered into this dungeon within the Syndicate Headquarters from the outside. It was just the light from a feeble, single lightbulb that hung in the ceiling.  
    The door was opened by two tigers– one white, the other orange. They wore black trenchcoats, but unlike those that had followed O'Donnell, they did not have the Gospel Army's symbol on their trenchcoats.  
    These tigers were from the Syndicate. Each one stepped aside of the door, revealing a tall, scaly figure. This figure also wore a black trenchcoat.  
    It was Scales, the former General of the SharpClaw Army, and current member of the Lylat Syndicate. He stopped in the centre of the room, looking towards the figure that was chained against the brick wall. Though the furry head was lowered, Scales recognised the person as General Wolf O'Donnell of the Gospel Army.  
"Wolf," he said in an attempt to attract the lupine's attraction, "I'm here to get you out of here."  
    "And why would you want to do that?" asked Wolf, not raising his head to look at Scales.  
    "I owe you one, remember?" replied Scales. "Back during the Lylat War, you saved my life from Cornerian spies. Besides, I..."  
    Wolf laughed, though at what, Scales was not too sure. Gradually, Wolf lifted his furry head until his eyes gazed into those of the SharpClaw.  
"Do you really think that I need your help, Scales?" asked Wolf curiously. "Pigma is nothing compared to me. Surely, you of all people should know that?" A wolfish smile spread across his furry muzzle, as he looked at Scales. "Go now, before one of his brain-dead followers comes along. There is no need for you to free me. Even if I should die, Gospel will still continue to avenge the destruction of Planet Cerinia and serve the plans of Dr. Kano."  
    There was something in Wolf's gaze that reminded Scales of something. It sent shivers down his spine.  
"Okay then," he sighed with a nod of his scaly head. "I'll leave then. I hope you know what you're doing."  
    "I doubt he does," said a squealing voice that made Scales whirl round.  
    It was Pigma Dengar, standing at the doorway. Several of his most loyal followers stood in a radiating fan fashion in front of him, protecting him.  
"You see, if he did know what he was doing, he would have busted out a long time ago," sneered Pigma, as he motioned for his men to advance. "Scales, you will suffer the same fate as Wolf for betraying the Syndicate. Both of you shall be tortured to death. I feel that it's a suitable demise for the two of you, after all, it seems as if you enjoy pain so much."  
    Wolf burst out into laughter.  
"Kill him!" he shouted.  
    Pigma frowned and then saw some of his followers turn their guns on him. Traitors!  
"No!" he squealed in horror. "Stop them!" He backed off, as his most loyal followers turned their guns on the traitors and opened fire.  
    One of the trench-coat wearing thugs turned his gun on Wolf. He pulled the trigger and fired a laser that severed the chains that kept the lupine bound to the wall. Another laser flew through the air, but this time it was not fired from his gun. Blood trickled form the thug's head, before he dropped his gun and crashed to the floor lifeless.  
    Wolf wrenched himself free from the world. He unsheathed his sabre from its scabbard, as he ran past those loyal to Pigma. Out of the corner of his eye he saw one of the thugs aim a gun at him. With a flick of his wrist, he turned the blade and it cut off the Syndicate member's gun-wielding hand. Another one of Pigma's loyal followers rushed him. He swung his sharpened sabre vertically and cut the man in half from the bottom up.  
    The sight of one of his followers being cut in half horrified Pigma. He turned round and quickly made a run for it. Dengar had always been a coward and this time was no exception. Pigma didn't get very far, though, as he was suddenly grabbed from behind and throttled by an arm. He saw a shining blade with an edge so sharp, it looked as if could cut through an atom, and this blade was held right near his eyes.  
    "Where do you think you're going?" asked Wolf curiously.  
    "Please, don't kill me," begged Pigma. "Please!"  
    Wolf chuckled at that comment.  
"You're such a coward," he told the porcine. "You would gladly kill those more defenceless than you, but when faced against someone like me or even McCloud...?" He laughed at the thought of it. "Remember how James McCloud pleaded for his life, pleaded to your sense of decency? Remember how you ignored his pleas and killed him?"  
    "No, you wouldn't!" protested Pigma with a shake of his head. "I'm a team mate. A friend!"  
    "Yes, you were a team mate," said Wolf after much thought. "A friend, however? No. McCloud was your friend, if I remember correctly and a team mate." The smile on his muzzle widened. "Can you see where this is going?"  
    Though larger than Wolf, in terms of bulk, Pigma was not stronger. He could not break free from the grip Wolf held him in and even if he could, he would be cut to shreds before he could even make a move.  
"Please, don't do this," pleaded Pigma, as tears streamed down his cheeks.  
    "Tears," commented Wolf in surprise. "And I thought you had lost all sense of decency. Still, they won't help you now." He then drew his sabre across Pigma's eyes, cutting through them and into the porcine's skull. Wolf let go of Pigma and let the dead Syndicate Leader fall to the ground. "And you shall cry tears of crimson," muttered Wolf, as he stood there observing the increasing puddle of scarlet spread across the floor.  
    He bent down and then wiped his sabre clean of blood, before he resheathed into its scabbard.  
"Cease all fighting and prepare for the raid," ordered Wolf sternly. "Remember, McCloud is mine and mine alone." He stood back up and stepped over Pigma's fallen body casually, before he made his way calmly out as if nothing had happened.

**_To be continued..._**


	10. Episode 10: The Real Folk Blues

Cowboy Star Fox 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

WARNING: This fanfic will contain swearing, graphic scenes of death and violence and the use of British-English Spelling and Grammar. If any of these things offend you or if you are underaged, please do not read any further. Upon reading any word or letter in this file, you hereby agree to forfeit all your rights to sue me and that I cannot be held liable for any psychological or physical damage caused by the contents of this fanfic. Star Fox and all related characters (including me) are copyrighted by Nintendo. Scales, Dinosaur Planet and all related characters are copyrighted by Rare. The Gospel Army, Dr. Jerome Kano, the Sekai Foundation and all related characters and places are copyrighted by me.

* * * * *

Episode 10: The Real Folk Blues  
    Large, billowing dark clouds covered the sky. The rain fell down from the heavens like guided bombs, soaking everything, attacking the tall tower that stretched skywards, higher than any tower around it. Raindrops fell on the concrete rooves of buildings, it fell on lampposts, the pavements and the parked vehicles. They fell on the nearby church and on the statues of saints, slowly dribbling down their cheeks as if the statues themselves were shedding tears.  
    Suddenly, vans came screeching round the corner. Vehicles of all kinds surrounded the Kleinfelter Plaza on all possible sides. Dogs, cats, species of all kinds, rushed out of their vehicles. Men shouted at the civilians through megaphones, yelling at them to get out of the way.  
    The SWAT Teams prepared themselves. The Star Fox Team prepared themselves. The Lylat Police prepared themselves.

* * * * *

    The place was a sprawling hall equivalent to the atrium of a Roman villa, with marble columns and a marble floor. On one side was a wall of windows. Opposite the double doors were a small flight of marble stairs that led up to a single chair that stood in front of a large velvet banner that displayed the Gospel Army's logo.  
    Scales stood to the right-hand side of the chair, his arms crossed behind his back. He watched as Wolf climb up the steps of the dais, with one hand holding on to the scabbard in which his sabre was sheathed. The SharpClaw raised his good hand up to his radio earpiece.  
"Wolf, we've got a problem," he told the lupine, mere seconds afterwards.  
    "There is no problem," replied Wolf, as he turned round and brushed his white cape aside before sitting down, still holding on to the sabre. He brought the tip of the scabbard down on the ground, as if the entire thing was a cane. "They're all here just as I anticipated. Even McCloud is here." A smile spread across his furry muzzle. "Let them come. They'll soon find out the true nature of the Gospel Army."

* * * * *

    The glass doors slid open, after all, they were automatic. A canister was thrown, as lasers flew through the air. One laser hit it dead in middle and it exploded, sending gas pouring into the large hallway.  
    The SWAT Teams were the first to enter, each armed to the teeth. They stopped and saw that the Syndicate members within the building also wore gas masks like they did and were also armed. A laser was fired and hit one of the SWAT Team members in the chest.  
    A gun fight erupted within the large, marble-floored reception. Lasers flew through the air. Blood was shed and the floor dyed red.  
    Fox rushed past the Syndicate thugs. He saw more armed criminals up on the mezzanine above him. They opened fire at him, before he darted in a zig-zag pattern, dodging the lasers with fancy footwork. It was the best he could do. He grabbed a gun and raised it. Fox didn't even take aim. It was difficult for him to do that while running and dodging lasers. He just aimed randomly and pulled the trigger repeatedly.  
    One of the trenchcoat wearing thugs keeled over and fell over the banister.  
    The vulpine dived for the still functioning escalators and took cover between its metallic walls. He sorted out the weapons, making sure they were properly loaded. Fox grabbed a gun in each hand and looked up. He saw one of the thugs skid to a halt at the top of the escalators and take aim. Fox was quicker. He fired and then ran up the escalators, keeping as low to the metallic steps as possible.  
    Fox emerged on top of the mezzanine. He spread his arms out wide and fired in two directions, shooting two of the Syndicate thugs in the arms. The vulpine looked around carefully. Which way would take him to the top floor, where Dengar was undoubtedly situated?  
    Though the sound of laserfire was deafening, Fox could hear footsteps behind him. He whirled round and aimed his gun.  
    It was Falco.  
"Whoa, easy there!" he shouted over the roar of the gunfire. "Follow me!" He rushed to the right and beckoned for Fox to follow.  
    There was no need to argue. Fox ran after Falco until he was running by the avian's side.  
    Falco skidded to a halt and placed an arm out in front of Fox.  
"Wait," he said. His keen avian sense of vision had spotted something ahead of him. "Take cover," he told Fox. He then pointed towards the explosive that had been set on the wall. "Booby trap. Follow my lead." A small smile spread across his beak. It was nice to be leading the Leader and he was loving every moment.  
    The avian ran forward and at the last moment, he skidded across the floor, sliding across it so low that he was nearly lying on the ground. He stood up and beckoned for Fox to do the same thing.  
    Behind Fox, he heard a shout. He turned round and saw a couple of Syndicate thugs running towards him. It was now or never. Fox ran forward and skidded along the floor at the last moment, sliding underneath the range of the explosive's motion sensors.  
"Quick, run!" shouted Fox. He had an idea and it didn't pay for them to be too close to the plan. "Run!" cried Fox more insistently, when Falco wouldn't.  
    "Okay," agreed Falco with a nod of his head, before he ran down the corridor at break neck speeds.  
    Fox ran in front of him and turned his head back to look behind him. He turned his arm back and aimed his gun, pulling the trigger. The laser flew through the air and hit the explosives. There was an eruption of fire, smoke and debris– an explosion so powerful that the shockwave knocked both Fox and Falco down to the floor.  


    Krystal did a flying kick that sent the Syndicate thug flying. She landed back, bending her knees to soften the impact. The blue-furred vixen rushed forwards and swung her staff in a huge arc at the hands of another of the Syndicate's goons, knocking the gun out of the bruin's hands. She swung the other end of her staff and smacked it into the bear's guts with such force he collapsed to the ground.  
    A laser flew through the air and Krystal leapt back to avoid being hit. She looked up and saw the gunman on the mezzanine above her. A smile spread across her face, as she raised her staff and fired back at the gunman. Then with one swift backward thrust, she shoved the back end of her staff into the groin of the Syndicate thug behind her, heard a gargled cry of pain and then a thud.  
    There was nothing that Krystal, a Cerinian couldn't do. She whirled round and faced the Syndicate thugs that had crept behind her. They look startled. It was then that she noticed the Gospel Army symbols on their trenchcoats.  
"You're from the Gospel Army," she stated.  
    "What do you think you're doing?" cried one of the Gospel members, upon recognising her accent and the Cerinian jewelry she wore. "You're from Cerinia too, aren't you?"  
    "What's that got to do with this?"  
    "You stupid bitch," growled a voice from behind her, before a robotic hand clapped over her muzzle and she was pulled towards a muscular body. "The Gospel Army is a Cerinian Organisation!" The mysterious person then pulled her aside. "You take care of the Police," he told the other Syndicate thugs. "I'm going to see General Ookami."  
    Though Krystal was put in a headlock that she couldn't escape, that didn't mean she couldn't do at least some damage. She began kicking at the person that held her. The robotic hand then grabbed her by her throat and lifted her up. Krystal was turned round. Her suspicions were confirmed. It was Scales that held her. She wanted to shout obscenities at him, but his hold on her throat was so tight she could barely breathe, let alone speak.  
    Scales smiled at her.  
"General Ookami would love to have you," he chuckled. A laser suddenly hit his robotic arm and Scales screamed out, letting go of Krystal. He turned round and saw the grey-furred canine that had dared to open fire on him. "Fuck you!" he swore, as he pressed a few buttons on his robotic arm, making a small laser gun rise up from within. He took aim and then fired.  
    Bill dodged the lasers, rolling sideways out of the way. He returned fire, his lasers flying at Scales. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the Gospel thugs take aim at him. Bill turned his gun sideways and fired furiously at them before they could even open fire. He caught one in the head and another in the chest and a third in the leg. That was when he saw another set of lasers flying at the thugs. It was Fara!  
    The Fennec fox rushed in, all her guns ablazing. She shot the Gospel members in the legs and in the arms, making sure not to kill them. Every one of Fara's shots were accurate and none missed their mark.  
    There was suddenly the sound of a terrible explosion from above.  


    Falco was the first one to get up. He looked behind him at the charred corridor and saw that the explosion had fell all of the Syndicate thugs.  
"Fox, you all right?" he asked the vulpine.  
    "I'll be fine," replied Fox, as he rose back up to his feet and dusted himself off. "Come on, let's get going." He ran ahead of Falco, still holding on to his two guns tightly. His fingers over the triggers and he was ready to fire at anything that moved.  
    Fox quickly emerged into another corridor that ran perpindicularly to the one he was in, aiming his gun both ways, as he looked up and down it. In front of him was an elevator. He rushed over and pushed a button. His keen vulpine ears heard something. Fox whirled round and opened fire at the oncoming Syndicate thugs. There were only two and he caught each one in the arm and then the leg.  
    There was a chime and the elevator doors opened. Fox turned to face the empty elevator and then to face Falco.  
"Hurry up!" he shouted at the avian.  
    A bunch of five Syndicate thugs ran down the corridor towards Falco and Fox. The avian whirled round the corner and hid behind it for cover.  
"You go ahead!" shouted Falco, as the Syndicate thugs opened fire. "I'll deal with them." He saw Fox about to protest, but he would have none of that. "Go!" he shouted before poking his gun out from behind the corner and firing at the oncoming Syndicate thugs.  
    Fox quickly dashed into the elevator and took cover to the wall near the panel of buttons. He pressed one and the doors slowly started to close, the lasers smashing against the closing metallic doors. In the elevator, Fox took in deep breaths and checked the batteries for his guns. They still had a few shots in left, but Fox wasn't going to take the chance. He dislodged the battery cartridges from the two guns and brought out two more, which he slid in quickly.  
    The elevator stopped. Fox looked up. This wasn't the floor he wanted.  
    The doors opened and lasers flew into the elevator carriage, slamming against the back of the elevator. Slowly, the Syndicate thugs advanced towards the open elevator. One rushed in and opened fire. There was no one there. He looked around him curiously, as his other colleagues followed him in.  
    The vulpine dropped down on them from above, smashing their heads together and knocking them unconscious, as he brought them crashing down to the floor. Fox looked out of the elevator and saw it empty. He quickly darted out, looking up and down the corridor. It was probably best for him to go on foot for the rest of the way up.  
    A laser hurtled at him and Fox leapt sideways. It cut past his arm, making Fox yelp out in pain. He whirled round and aimed his guns, before firing the both of them repeatedly at the person that shot at him. Fox saw a spurt of blood and then the Syndicate member collapsed to the ground. That was that one taken care of.  
    Suddenly, his ears detected a sound. He whirled round, aiming his gun at his opponent's head and found himself with a gun pointed at his own head. That was not all.  
"Fara?" exclaimed Fox in surprise, as he lowered his gun.  
    "Fox? Sorry about that," apologised Fara, as she lowered her gun.  
    "What are you doing here all alone?" asked Fox curiously.  
    "We've secured the lower levels," replied Fara sternly, "so I thought I'd come up to help you."  
    "Look out!" cried Fox, as he pushed Fara aside. He quickly fired and caught the tiger in the chest, felling the Syndicate criminal.  
    Fara suddenly opened fire in the opposite direction to Fox. She hit two Syndicate members in legs and one accidentally in the neck.  
"Looks like we're even," she commented, as Fox turned round to face her. That was when she saw something behind him. She quickly pushed him out of the way and opened fire, just as the Syndicate criminal did. A laser smashed into her body and she fell backwards, as she pulled the trigger one last time, killing the Syndicate criminal.  
    "Fara!" cried out Fox, as he caught her. He noticed the rapidly increasing patch of red on her arm. "Shit!" he cursed, as he looked down at the wound.  
    "Don't worry about me," said Fara, wincing through her pain. "It's nothing serious, really. You go ahead."  
    Fox looked at the wound and saw that she was losing blood at a rapid rate.  
"Yeah, right," he said sarcastically, as he untucked his shirt and ripped out a strip of fabric. He placed this around her arm and tied it tight around the wound to stop the bleeding. "I've got to get you back down. You need medical attention, now. Pigma can wait."  
    "Especially seeing he's dead," laughed Fara bitterly. She saw the incredulous look on Fox's face. "We found him in the basement. Somebody had cut clean through the top of his head." Her pupils suddenly dilated in fear. "Fox, behind you!"  
    It was too late. Scales swung his robotic arm at Fox and knocked the vulpine to the other side of the corridor. There was a smile on the SharpClaw's face, as he advanced towards Fox.  
"Looks like I'll win this time round," he stated, as he placed a boot on Fox's stomach and pinned the fox down to the ground with his sheer weight. He leaned forward. "Nothing can stop the General now. The Gospel Army will have its revenge." He aimed his robotic arm down at Fox, the laser gun in his arm aimed at at the vulpine's head.  
    He would have taken aim, had something not rushed him and pushed Scales off. The SharpClaw crashed to the floor with a thud. He glared up angrily.  
"You again?" he roared, as he saw Krystal standing over him with her staff's tip aimed at him. "You meddling bitch! This time I'll tear your fucking throat out!" He shoved her aside with his legs and rose to his feet.  
    Krystal quickly got back up to her feet and readied herself. Her eyes were set on the laser gun attached to his robotic arm. She knew she would have to avoid that.  
"This time, Scales, you're not going to escape," retorted Krystal, before she rushed at him. She was a blur. Her staff smashed into Scales' head, as she whirled round in the air like the blades of a helicopter. Krystal kicked him, as she spun in the air.  
    She landed back on the floor and then rushed him. Her staff was twirled through the air gracefully. Krystal was much faster than Scales, and managed to hit him again and again.  
    Fox rose to his feet and aimed his gun. He fired at Scales' robotic arm, destroying the laser gun.  
    Scales roared and swung his good arm at Krystal, only to miss as the blue-furred vixen ducked. Her staff hit him in the face and then the other end smashed into his groin. With a roar of pain, he staggered backwards and collapsed to the floor.  
    "You think you can handle him, Krystal?" asked Fox curiously.  
    "You bet," replied Krystal with a smile on her face. She then put her fingers to her mouth and whistled, at which point a couple of guys clad in SWAT Team gear ran up the corridor.  
    Fox smiled back at Krystal.  
"Take Fara to a medic and go back down with her," he told Krystal. "I'm going upstairs."  
    "No, wait!" protested Fara and Krystal, almost simultaneously.  
    Krystal rushed towards Fox, placing a hand on his shoulder to halt him.  
"Wait, Fox, you can't go on your own," she told him. "Let me go with you." She had this feeling that there was something up there at the top of the Kleinfelter Plaza, something that Fox couldn't possibly face on his own. "Please," she pleaded, as he look him in her eyes.  
    "If she's going, I'm going too," stated Fara, as she staggered back to her feet.  
    "No, you can't!" protested Fox. He didn't want to see Fara or Krystal get hurt. "I have to do this alone," he told them sternly, looking them both in the eyes. "Please, go with the others back down." Fox didn't even wait for them to reply or protest. He turned his back on them and made his way down the corridor.

* * * * *

    Wolf still sat in the chair at the top of the Kleinfelter Plaza. No one had dared to enter the building from the roof, so Wolf had been left completely alone at the top.  
"He's here," he muttered under his breath. A smirk slowly appeared on his furry muzzle, widening into a grin and then a full blown smile. "Come in, McCloud!" he shouted. "Come in!" He laid his sabre, still sheathed in its scabbard, on his lap and waited. "What are you waiting for, McCloud? I'm in here!"  
    The door opened. There was suddenly a huge explosion that tore the roof straight off the Kleinfelter Plaza and rendered the west wall asunder, sending glass and steel and concrete flying into the air and downwards to the ground below. Dust flew upwards, billowing out like a mushroom in the side of the tall tower.  
    O'Donnell lowered his arm, uncovering his furry face. There was a smile on his muzzle. He began to laugh, as the raindrops fell on to him, matting his fur and dampening his clothes.  
"McCloud, you fool!" he laughed.  
    "Hey, I'm not the only fool around here, if you think that that could kill me."  
    As the dust began to settle, it became clear to Wolf that Fox had survived. The vulpine had survived, just as Wolf had.  
"So you survived," said Wolf with a smile on his grey-furred muzzle. "Just as a I thought. It looks like I'll be the one to kill you after all."

**_To be continued..._**


	11. Episode 11: Rain

Cowboy Star Fox 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

WARNING: This fanfic will contain swearing, graphic scenes of death and violence and the use of British-English Spelling and Grammar. If any of these things offend you or if you are underaged, please do not read any further. Upon reading any word or letter in this file, you hereby agree to forfeit all your rights to sue me and that I cannot be held liable for any psychological or physical damage caused by the contents of this fanfic. Star Fox and all related characters (including me) are copyrighted by Nintendo. Scales, Dinosaur Planet and all related characters are copyrighted by Rare. The Gospel Army, Dr. Jerome Kano, the Sekai Foundation and all related characters and places are copyrighted by me.  
P.S. Fans of Wolf O'Donnell must review this chapter. Don't worry about how the fight ends. SPOILER: Folw si ltils eliva.

* * * * *

Episode 11: Rain  
    As the dust began to settle, Fox McCloud got back up to his feet. He turned round and saw the huge gaping hole that the bomb had caused. It had destroyed the floor behind him and if he took one step backwards, he would fall to his death. Fox turned back round and saw someone sitting at the other end of the hall.  
"So, you've been behind this all along, have you?" he asked, as he made his way cautiously towards Wolf. "What's the big idea?"  
    Wolf shook his head at Fox's question.  
"Haven't you guessed by now, McCloud?" he asked Fox, as he grabbed his sword by the scabbard it was sheathed in and rose to his feet. He reached up and undid the clasp for his white cape, letting it fall into a puddle of cloth behind him. "Listen to my voice, McCloud. Listen to its accent. Think for a while. What accent do you think it is?"  
    A smug little smile spread across Wolf's face, as he made his way down the steps of the dais.  
"Did you really think that it was a Cornerian accent?" asked Wolf curiously. "Did you think I was a Cornerian, trying to fake a posh accent? Did you ever stop to think that it could have been that I was a Cerinian, trying to fake a Cornerian accent?"  
    It was at that juncture in time that Fox realised that Krystal's accent did sound a bit like Wolf's. Now that Wolf wasn't trying to fake a Cornerian accent, the lupine's accent sounded exactly like Krystal's.  
"That means you faked your birth certificate," he stated after a while of thought. "You faked your documents, all so you could get into the Lylat Flight Academy."  
    "Somebody's starting to catch on," chuckled Wolf, as he stepped slowly down the dais. "Yes, I faked all information on myself, so I could get into the Academy, which, if you remember, didn't allow Cerinians in. Do you know why?" There was no reply from the Fox and they remained in total silence, with only the drum of the rain against the steel girders and concrete as company. "They feared that if they trained a Cerinian, that Cerinian would then turn against them. The Lylat Alliance destroyed Planet Cerinia with their weapons testing. They annihilated the Planet! For what? So they could use the weapons against any that opposed them and their ideals for freedom and peace?"  
    "So that's why you joined Andross and after that, created Gospel," stated Fox. "You wanted revenge."  
    Wolf smiled at Fox.  
"I didn't create the Gospel Army, Fox," he told the vulpine. "It isn't my organisation. I am only the figure head, the Mask that hides the true Leader. That doesn't matter though. I'm not in it for power. I'm just in it to give the Lylat Alliance the same grief that it caused me and my people." He then drew his sabre from its scabbard.  
    Fox raised his gun and aimed it at Wolf. He didn't say a word. There was no need to say a word. Fox knew what Wolf wanted and he was sure that Wolf knew what Fox wanted. The vulpine just stood there in the pouring rain, as did Wolf. Neither of them moved.  
    "Only I can kill you, McCloud," said Wolf after a while.  
    "Likewise," retorted Fox. He glanced at Wolf, observing the lupine's every actions. If he saw any tell tale sign that the lupine was about to move, then he would move also. Fox waited. Wolf had a sabre. Fox had a gun. There was no contest. Fox realised that, so he waited. After all, there was no point in shooting a guy that was in all intents and purposes, unarmed. 'What is he waiting for?' wondered Fox.  
    Wolf kept his eyes above him. Though the explosion had been devestating, some structure still remained, like the girder above his head that used to support the roof. He kept his gaze on the teetering piece of roof that hung just a few steps forward and above him.  
"I must warn you, McCloud," began Wolf in an attempt to stall for some time, "though I have two eyes, one of them is... how shall I put it? ...faulty. One eye sees the past, the other sees the future. I'll be able to see your every move before you even make it."  
    "You always were a joker," said Fox with a shake of his head. He kept the sights of his gun trained on Wolf, after all, he was sure that the lupine was up to something. What it was, he wasn't quite sure. Still, he was the crafty one and he would figure out Wolf's plan soon. He heard a crack and then looked up, to see a huge piece of concrete crash into the floor in front of Wolf. "Fuck!" he cursed and then ran for it, realising what Wolf had been waiting for. He ran round the piece of rubble. There was nothing.  
    Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Wolf charging straight at him. Fox turned his gun. The metallic blade of Wolf's sabre struck the barrel of his weapon just as he pulled the trigger, turning the barrel of the gun away from Wolf's head. The laser flew skywards.  
    Fox, using all his strength, swung his gun back round, forcing the blade of Wolf's sabre downwards. He watched as it curved out of sight and Wolf's entire body swung round with it and out of the way of Fox's gun. The vulpine saw the blade of Wolf's sabre swing round full circle and ducked just in time to avoid having his head cut straight off his neck. At the same time, Fox ran and then turned round 180 degrees and aimed his gun. He pulled the trigger and fired a laser at Wolf only to miss as the wolf dodged the gunshot. Fox pulled the trigger again.  
    This time, Wolf swung his sabre in an arc until the blade hit the laser. There was a spark, as the laser diffracted off his blade. Silently, Wolf ran straight at Fox. He thrust his sabre straight at the vulpine, only to miss as Fox twisted out of the way. Mid-thrust, upon seeing his failure, Wolf swung the sabre sideways and Fox ducked. He swung it vertically.  
    Fox rolled out of the way and aimed his gun at Wolf. He pulled the trigger. The laser flew through the air and just missed Wolf's arm.  
"Shit!" swore Fox, as he leapt back to his feet. He fired several more times at Wolf, only for the lupine to block each laser with that blasted sabre of his. That was it. He stopped firing and allowed for Wolf to charge straight at him. Wolf swung. Fox leapt over the sabre blade and kicked at Wolf's head.  
    Wolf saw it coming all too soon and bent backwards underneath the kick and twisted out from underneath. He swung his sabre straight at Fox's shoulder and just managed to cut the vulpine's hide.  
    A wince spread across Fox's face, as he turned and fired, his laser skimming past Wolf's arm.  
    Neither had wounded the other seriously. They only managed to give each other a tiny nick on the arm. If they hadn't been dressed in different things and if Wolf hadn't so many scars, one would have looked like a gray-scale image of the other. They were complete opposites and in the years they had fought each other hand-to-hand, it looked as if they were evenly matched.  
    "It seems we're still evenly matched," stated Wolf calmly. The smile on his wet muzzle widened. "I'll fix that, though!" With lightning speed, he rushed straight at Fox and swung his sabre at the vulpine. He missed once again, as Fox rolled out of the way and then turned to fire. Wolf twisted round and shielded his body with the blade of his sabre. He heard Fox swear. "You know, it's pretty funny. Society makes me out to be the bad guy, but it's you that has the antisocial habits– smoking, swearing... I even bet you drink heavily as well. Like father, like son, eh?"  
    Fox growled angrily at Wolf's comments.  
"Shut up!" he shouted angrily, before he opened fire. His laser missed as Wolf ran in a circle around him. He pulled the trigger again and there was only a click. Fox saw Wolf run straight towards him. The vulpine discarded his gun quickly and pulled out his second one. He turned it and fired.  
    Seconds before he pulled the trigger, Wolf smashed the blade of his sabre against the barrel of Fox's gun, the force of which turned the gun down to the ground. Fox saw Wolf turn the blade of the sabre and swing again. He leapt back, narrowly avoiding being cut by the sharp edge of Wolf's sabre. Fox turned the sights of his gun at Wolf.  
    Wolf stepped sideways to avoid being shot at. He swung his sabre straight at Fox's head, only to miss again.  
"Stay still!" growled Wolf, as he swung again. He missed. Wolf swung his sabre vertically, hoping to cleave Fox in half, but the vulpine rolled out of the way. A laser flew at him. His sabre was swung into the laser's path. It was diffracted. Wolf ran straight at Fox and thrust his sabre point first at the vulpine's chest.  
    The sabre went through empty air. Several more lasers were fired at Wolf. He blocked them all with the blade of his sabre. Wolf chuckled.  
"Didn't I tell you I could see the future, McCloud?" he asked Fox. "I can see your every move before you even make it." He charged at Fox.  
    The vulpine fired repeatedly at Wolf, but the lupine did not dodge the lasers. Wolf merely swatted at each other with his sabre, deflecting each one. The grey-furred wolf ran full tilt at Fox, swinging his sabre horizontally in an arc at Fox's torso. Fox leapt over the sharp blade and fired, only for Wolf to duck underneath the laser.  
    Upon landing back on the rain-soaked floor, Fox whirled round and swung his gun round to face Wolf, just as Wolf swung his sabre. Their two weapons clashed together. With all his strength, Wolf swung his sabre round, pushing the gun along with it. Their arms did full circle before Fox's gun was flung out of his hands. It flew through the air and clattered on to the floor, sliding across it to the edge where the bomb had torn a gaping hole in the building.  
    "Now you lose, McCloud," stated Wolf, as he swung his sabre straight at Fox's head.  
    The sabre never hit Fox, as the vulpine ran for it. His sensitive vulpine ears heard Wolf's footsteps behind him. Wolf was running after him. He dived to the floor and grabbed the gun, before he whirled round on to his back and took aim. In that split second when he aimed his gun, he saw Wolf raise his sabre and thrust it at him.  
    The point of the blade hovered merely micrometres away from Fox's flesh. The same could be said for Fox's gun, which was practically pressed against Wolf's shoulder. Both were so extremely close to each other, that there was no room for any other manoeuvre. They were so close that they could see the pure hatred in each other's eyes.  
    Neither moved from their position. If one attacked, the other surely would attack as well and they could end up killing each other. At that point, they were completely soaked to the bone and it was still raining. Their fur was matted down and they both smelt like wet dog. If it weren't for the fierce battle between them, they would both have looked incredibly silly.  
    A great urge to make some smart arse comment nearly overwhelmed Fox, but he knew there was no need to say anything. The position they were in was sufficient enough. Fox looked into Wolf's face and saw nothing there but a wry smile. He then glanced down at his free hand, which was in his pocket. There was a way to win this. Fox knew there was a way. He began to wonder. Did Wolf know that he had already lost?  
    The very moment that Wolf thrust his sabre forward, the cold metal of its blade ripping through fur, skin and sinewy muscle, Fox pulled on his trigger, sending a laser into Wolf's shoulder, causing blood to fly and splatter against the rain-drenched floor. Both yelped in pain and both reeled backwards.  
    As Fox fell off the edge, he pulled the grenades out of his pocket and yanked the pins out. He let them clatter on the ground, as he fell and as he did, he saw the look of pure terror on Wolf's face as the lupine noticed the grenades lying right next to him.  
    Time seemed to slow down as Fox fell with his back to the ground and with his gaze up towards the clearing skies of the heavens. Though it was a tall tower and gravity made him accelerate downwards, it seemed to take forever. Never had time crawled so slowly. Seconds turned into minutes. Minutes turned into hours. Though the passage of time had always been laborious, never had it been this difficult to endure. Fox seemed to fall forever. Yet only one second had passed.  
    An explosion suddenly illuminated the sky above Fox, sending debris and dust flying. Slowly, Fox closed his eyes and spread his arms, letting himself fall. In the back of his mind, he thought of how Wolf couldn't have possibly escaped the explosion of the grenades. In the back of his mind, his thoughts faded away. There was no more need to think.  
    All Fox could feel was the rush of the air past him, as he fell. He couldn't even feel the raindrops, as he fell as quickly as they did. It was, in some bizarre fashion, a rather comforting sensation. This would be a quick and violent death, yet he would not know it. The air would be pushed out of his body by the impact. The skull would shatter and its fragments would possibly pierce the flesh of the brain. The impact would shatter his bones and kill him instantly. Yet, despite all this knowledge, he felt strangely calm.  
    Fox let his life flash past his eyes and welcomed it. He watched the events of his birthdays. His first day at school. His first day at the Lylat Flight Academy. The death of his mother. Her funeral. The death of his father. His funeral. Fox saw all the horrors of the Lylat War flash past his eyes. He saw the massacres performed by both sides of the war. He saw the events of Dinosaur Planet play out in front of him and the fight against Andross.  
    And then came the impact.  
    The rain was subsiding. The drops of rain splattered against Fox's furry face and then ceased. The sky began to clear.  
    Slowly, Fox opened his eyes and then blinked once. He still saw the tower that was the Romefeller Plaza. He still saw the skies with its residual clouds. Fox felt the ground around him and found it soft and comfortable. He sat up.  
"Well, I'll be," he said with a smile on his muzzle. His impact had been softened up considerably by a vast amount of pillows. He chuckled to himself. "Looks like I cheat death again."

* * * * *

    The man walked down a pure, clean white corridor. On either side of him were cells, each with special translucent forcefields in front of them. In each cell was what looked like a hospital bed with a patient in it. Each patient had an IV drip. Each patient was in a different condition. Some were badly burnt. Others had multiple cuts across their body. Some had gangrenous limbs. Other had rotting skin covered in fungus and pustules. Others still had hideous mutations.  
    The grey-haired ape didn't care for them, as he walked down the corridor, flanked by two monkeys wearing black trenchcoats. All three of them had the Gospel Army's symbol printed on the breastpockets of their coats.  
    The grey-haired ape, however, wore a white labcoat instead of the trenchcoat. Underneath that, he wore a yellow turtleneck. Like the two monkeys flanking him, he wore black shoes and black trousers. Unlike the monkeys on either side of him, he was old and wrinkled and had no fur on his face or his hands. His hair was a grey, untidy, tangled mess and underneath his nobbly nose was a moustache of the same quality as his hair.  
    "Dr. Kano, sir!" cried a voice from down the corridor.  
    The man in the labcoat, a human from the Sekai Foundation, stopped in his tracks. He kept his arms crossed behind his back, as the monkeys on either side of him whirled round to face the man that ran down the corridor.  
"What is it?" asked the old man in a nasal voice that made him sound as if he had a cold.  
    "Sir, the Lylat Police have raided the Syndicate's Headquarters," announced the feline, as he approached the old man that was Dr. Jerome Kano. "We've suffered heavy losses, sir. Half of our organisation's members have been arrested and..."  
    Kano raised one wrinkled hand in a silencing gesture.  
"Enough!" he cried abruptly, before he turned sharply to face the feline. "I do not want to hear about these failures, do you understand me?"  
    "But General O'Donnell..."  
    "What about him?" snapped Kano. "Did you not understand that he was merely a puppet? So what if he led a group of my soldiers to their destruction?" A strange smile spread across Kano's face. "It doesn't matter to me," he continued. "All that matters is that I get results. Tell me, does the Lylat Police think that they have completely taken down the Gospel Army and the Lylat Syndicate? Do you they think that both organisations have been completely eradicated?"  
    "Yes, sir."  
    Kano continued to smile.  
"Then that is all that I need know," he told the feline. He pointed straight at the feline. "Take him. He shall be the new test subject for my virus." Dr. Kano watched as his two attendants advanced towards the feline and grabbed him. The scientist turned back round, ignoring the screams and pleas of the feline. He walked down the corridor, with the two monkeys following him and dragging the feline behind them.

**_To be continued..._**


	12. Episode 12: Call me Call me

Cowboy Star Fox 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

WARNING: This fanfic will contain swearing, graphic scenes of death and violence and the use of British-English Spelling and Grammar. If any of these things offend you or if you are underaged, please do not read any further. Upon reading any word or letter in this file, you hereby agree to forfeit all your rights to sue me and that I cannot be held liable for any psychological or physical damage caused by the contents of this fanfic. Star Fox and all related characters (including me) are copyrighted by Nintendo. Scales, Dinosaur Planet and all related characters are copyrighted by Rare. The Gospel Army, Dr. Jerome Kano, the Sekai Foundation and all related characters and places are copyrighted by me.

* * * * *

Episode 12: Call me Call me  
    Pancakes covered with syrup. Fox couldn't remember the last time he had seen such a breakfast, that is, the last time he had seen an unburnt version of such a breakfast. It was drenched in the sticky, sweet stuff. The vulpine couldn't wait to sink his teeth into it.  
"Krystal, you made all this?" he asked the vixen.  
    "Yeah," replied Krystal with a nod of her head. "Go on. Eat!" The best way to a man's heart was through his stomach, or so she had read. If this wasn't going to get her a step closer to the fox she wanted, then nothing would. "It's not going to bite!" She looked around and saw that the others weren't there. Typical, they were sleeping in as usual. Well, she wasn't going to wake them up, not when she could enjoy her morning alone with Fox.  
    Krystal then noticed that the pancakes were far too big for Fox to eat without needing a knife and fork. She saw him reach out with his bad arm and then wince in pain.  
"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologised. "I completely forgot about what O'Donnell did your to shoulder. Here, let me cut it for you." She stood right behind him and took both fork and knife from him. Krystal then proceeded to cut the pancake up for him. She stabbed a piece with the fork and then raised it to Fox's mouth.  
    "Krystal, you really don't have to do this," protested Fox, before the piece of pancake was waved in front of him. "Well, I guess, if you want to, you can," he said, before biting the pancake. "You know, this is really good," said Fox rudely with a mouthful of pancake.  
    Krystal ignored that rudeness completely.  
"Thanks," she thanked the fox, as she sat down next to him. "I made it especially for you, coz you're so sweet." Urgh, that was an awful line. Where did she come up with that again? Oh yes. Now she remembered; she stole it from a book.  
    "Hey, sweet stuff," greeted a familiar voice that sounded far too obnoxious to Krystal. "You going to give me the Royal Treatment too?"  
    "Get stuffed, Falco," retorted Krystal.  
    Fox smiled. Everything was back to normal. The threat of the Gospel Army had disappeared, as had that of the Lylat Crime Syndicate. All that was left now were the small fry, at least, they were small in comparison to the Syndicate. Still, they had been paid quite a bit for their help in the raid on the Kleinfelter Plaza, so they didn't need to concern themselves over such criminals.  
    "Fox!" called out Peppy, as he strode into the kitchen. "There's a call for you from General Pepper."  
    A frown appeared on Fox's furry face, or at least, the vulpine equivalent of a frown.  
"General Pepper?" he exclaimed in complete surprise. He hadn't heard from the canine for quite a long time. A year, in fact. "Thanks, Peppy," he thanked the old lepine. He made his way out of the kitchen and along the metallic corridor towards the Bridge of the Great Fox.  
    The metallic doors slid open and Fox walked in, making his way to the large swivelling chair near the back of the room. He quickly sat in it and pressed a button, making a holographic image appear in front of him.  
"It's nice to see you again, sir," greeted Fox with a smile on his muzzle.  
    The holographic image of General Pepper's head nodded.  
"Likewise, Fox," he said solemnly. "I only wish that I could talk to you under more favourable times." Gen. Pepper sighed. "Fox, I need to see you at Lylat Alliance HQ immediately. When can you get here?"  
    Kleinfelter Plaza was situated to the north of Corneria City's centre. Lylat Alliance HQ was situated to the west, near the Great Northern River that flowed through the city. Fox had been there once before at the end of the Lylat War to receive a commendation from Gen. Pepper and the Lylat Alliance.  
    The Great Fox was still orbiting Corneria and hadn't left the Planet since the raid on the Syndicate HQ. Fox thought about whether he could fly down there or whether he needed someone to help him fly down there. The Arwing fighters, after all, were only one seaters.  
"I'm not too far away," replied Fox, as he thought about his predicament. It suddenly occurred to him that Krystal's ship could contain more than one person. "I'll be there as soon as I can, probably in..." He trailed off and thought about how long it would actually take for Krystal to get ready and to fly the ship down. "I'll probably be there in twenty minutes, tops."  
    "Okay then," agreed General Pepper with a nod of his head. "I'll see you in twenty minutes at my office. General Pepper, out." The holographic image soon disappeared.  


    General Pepper swivelled round in his black chair and looked back down at the documents that were laid out in front of him. They were signed confessions obtained by the Lylat Police from one of the Gospel members that had been captured in the raid on the Kleinfelter Plaza. There were documents detailing the exact location of the Gospel Army's secret bases and what he saw chilled him to the bone.  
    Every Gospel Army base had a research laboratory located within it. Every Gospel Army base was hidden underneath a hospital and what was worse, was the fact that Gospel was using patients as research subjects for some hideous new bio-weapon they called the A-Virus.  
    The Gospel Army seemed to be far more widespread than they had initially thought and that thought brought shivers down Pepper's spine. Perhaps it had been a bad idea to test out weapons on the Planet Cerinia. He felt a fool for not seeing that their actions on Cerinia would have resulted in a terrorist organisation being formed. Pepper felt a fool for not knowing that when people feel angry and helpless, unable to fight against a larger occupying force, they would inevitably resort to guerilla warfare or even worse, terrorism.  
    Pepper closed his eyes and sighed. He could still remember the original events, as they had happened so long ago. The General could still remember the events that had led to the destruction of Cerinia and inevitably, to the start of the Lylat War...

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

    Two men were sitting in a room full of glowing monitor screens. Each one showed a different live picture from one of the multitude of cameras that their organisation had set up. One was a bloodhound dressed in a red military uniform with golden tassels on the ends of his epaulettes. The other was a grey-haired monkey dressed in a white labcoat. Both of them were looking sternly at the monitor in front of them, which displayed the face of a fat pig.  
    "Sirs, we have no idea how the virus escaped the labs," announced the pig with a shake of his head. "Maybe one of the researchers was accidentally infected."  
    An angry snarl spread across the monkey's face.  
"Look, I don't care how the virus escaped, you just contain it!" he shouted in a loud and deep voice, as he slammed a hairy fist on to the desk. "If word of this gets out, my research will be shut down completely and I'm telling you this, Dengar, I will not let my research die."  
    "Andross, I think we should stop the research," said the canine that stood next to the scientist. "It's far too risky."  
    The monkey, Andross, turned round with an angry look on his face.  
"Are you serious?" he exploded in anger. "We have almost discovered a vaccine for that damned virus! I will not let my research be hindered by a mere accident." He sighed, closing his eyes. "Accidents do happen, after all. They are almost unavoidable."  
    Pepper felt nervous. The research was one of the Cornerian Military's greatest kept secrets. They were developing a universal vaccine, using the Lylat System's most virulent and dangerous virus as a base. If they could somehow find a common biological structure in the virus, which would be common to all viruses and only viruses, they would be able to create a Super Vaccine that would immunise the Cornerian Troops against any virus, including genetically engineered ones.  
    What made him uncomfortable was the fact that the Super Vaccine would be kept a secret and would be only for the use of the military troops, so that no enemy forces could get their hands on it.  
"This is the fifth outbreak so far," Pepper told Andross quietly. "We're risking too many civilian lives for a vaccine they won't be able to use."  
    "Are you saying we should go against the Field Marshal's orders?" asked Andross in disbelief. "You're nuts, Pepper."  
    "No, I'm not," stated Pepper with a shake of his head. "How long do you think it'll be before the hospital immunologists find out that the virus has been genetically engineered to be more virulent? My troops can't keep them from getting blood samples for long." Pepper feared that if they found out the true nature of the virus, the media would jump on the topic and blow it out of proportions. "When they do, it'll only be a matter of time before the media gets a hold of it. Think about it. They'll claim it to be a bio-weapon. What then?" He paused to let that information sink. "As Head Researcher, Andross, you would be the first one they blame for its creation."  
    Andross turned to face the monitor in front of him, which was now filled with static.  
"I will not stop the research," stated Andross sternly. "We're too close to creating a vaccine to stop now." He rose from his seat at the monitor. "However, I think perhaps you're right about the media. I'm thinking we should transfer all research to a different planet altogether."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

    "General Pepper, sir," repeated the voice again, disturbing the General's reminiscences on the past.  
    Pepper reached out and pressed a button on his intercom.  
"Yes, Ms. Chambers?" he asked.  
    "Three people are here to see you, sir," came the reply from the small speaker. "One of them is Mr. Grey and the other is Mr. McCloud."  
    "Please, send them in," stated Pepper calmly, before he let go of the button and leaned back into his chair. He waited and soon the door opened. One of them was indeed Bill Grey and the other was Fox McCloud with his left arm in a sling. The third, Gen. Pepper recognised as well, as being the girl, Krystal. "Ah, Fox, Bill, Krystal, please come in," he said as he rose to his feet. "Please, have a seat." He gestured towards the two chairs in front of him. "Bill, would you get that chair from over the corner?"  
    "So, General, what is this all about?" asked Fox, as he sat down in front of the canine.  
    For a while, Pepper didn't reply. It was hard for him to tell them what he knew and what he had to tell them. What he had to tell them would change their outlook on history.  
"First, I must congratulate all of you on a job well done," he began, as he thought of their raid on the Syndicate. "You've done a great service to the Lylatian people and I thank you on their behalf." He could see it in their faces. They knew he was stalling, that he was hestitating to tell them what he knew. "Secondly, I received your report on the Gospel members, Captain Grey."  
    "They were very informative," continued Pepper. He trailed off, glancing back down at the reports on his desk.  
    "Sir?"  
    General Pepper sighed and closed his eyes, as he clasped his gloved hands together.  
"Fox, Bill, I have something to tell you about the Military's involvement in creating Gospel," began Pepper. He didn't open his eyes. He didn't want to see the expression on their faces. "Back when Andross was one of our nation's greatest researchers, we employed Dr. Andross to create a universal vaccine for the troops, one that would immunise them against any viral infection." Pepper opened his eyes again and looked at Bill and Fox. He saw that their faces were completely devoid of expression, but there was no surprise there and nor was there any horror. Pepper decided to continue. "The work progressed quite well and quite successfully, but every now and then there would be an accident."  
    Fox's right hand had clenched tightly into a fist. He had this sneaking suspicion that he knew what would come next.  
"What do you mean by accident, sir?" he asked the General.  
    "Every now and then a researcher would accidentally get infected," replied Gen. Pepper calmly, as he lowered his gaze away from them, especially from Krystal's gaze. "There would be an outbreak of the virus and we'd do our best to contain it. We did our best to prevent this from happening, but every now and then, the virus would somehow leak out. So... so... so... the management... killed off the research program. Andross was... devestated."  
    "I don't understand," said Bill with a shake of his head. "How is this related to the Gospel Army?"  
    General Pepper looked up at Bill.  
"It's related in two ways," he told them sternly. "One, most research after that was moved to Cerinia, so as to limit Cornerian casualties. Andross moved into the creation of weapons, but that really wasn't necessary. He went mad, released a bio-weapon on Corneria and you know the rest."  
    Krystal nodded in reply. She knew the rest.  
"Yes, Andross took over the Lylat System and Cerinia was one of the Planet's he seized control of," stated Krystal calmly.  
    "The Field Marshal at the time didn't want Andross getting his hands on our research," began General Pepper, "so he ordered us to destroy it all." He lowered his head at that point in shame, before he said, "I gave the orders, but something went wrong. At that time, Andross had established a bio-weapons laboratory in the area. We didn't know that, so when we bombed the place, the virus escaped and..."  
    Pepper raised his head to look at Krystal.  
"Krystal, I heard all about your ordeals," stated Pepper. "I'm sorry about what happened. We should have been more careful, but we had unwittingly unleashed the virus. Fearing it would spread acorss the system, the Field Marshal ordered us to completely destroy the planet."  
    Fox turned his head to face Krystal and saw that she was looking down at the floor. He then turned to face Pepper with an incredulous look on his face. So the Cornerian Military was responsible for the destruction of Cerinia, Krystal's home planet? The vulpine had heard what Wolf had said, but he didn't believe it was true at the time. Fox turned to face Krystal once more. She was unusually silent and that made him worry.  
    "Krystal, I'm ever so sorry," apologised the canine.  
    "That's okay," replied Krystal quietly. "I don't blame you. If anyone was at fault, it was Andross for putting that laboratory there in the first place." She closed her eyes and shook her head. The blue-furred vixen could still remember the disease that had ravaged her planet, and how she had to escape to Dinosaur Planet to avoid being infected.  
    Bill still couldn't quite understand.  
"Sir, I still don't get it," he said to General Pepper quietly. "What's Gospel got to do with that?"  
    "The Gospel Army was formed from the Cerinian People's Organisation," replied General Pepper, "the terrorist organisation that formed soon after to avenge Cerinia's destruction." He sighed. "That leads me on to Dr. Kano, whom was Andross' assistant head researcher on the Vaccine Project. We at the Lylat Alliance have reason to believe that Kano is the man that transformed the CPO into the Gospel Army. We also have reason to believe that he still has samples of the virus Andross used to develop the Universal Vaccine."  
    The canine pulled open a drawer and pulled out a folder. Pepper then handed it to Fox, instead of Bill.  
"In this folder is all the information you need on Dr. Kano," he told Fox. "He was a human immigrant from the Sekai Foundation and a genius in Biochemistry and Genetics," he explained to Fox, when the vulpine opened the folder and saw a photograph of Dr. Kano. "Also in that folder are documents on Kano's research into something called the A-Virus, which we managed to steal from one of the Gospel bases."  
    "Sir, why are you giving me this information?" asked Fox curiously, as he looked towards General Pepper. "Why not the Lylat Police?"  
    "We want this to be a discreet operation, Fox," stated General Pepper calmly. "If any word of what I've just told you gets out, then who knows what'll happen? We'll lose face. Worse still, the public will lose faith in us, even though the old Field Marshal quit a long time ago." He turned to Bill. "Captain Grey, I want you to give Fox all the information you have on the Gospel Army and to help him in finding Dr. Kano and shutting down his organisation once and for all. I want all three of you to keep all this a secret. Do you understand?"  
    "Yes, sir," came the reply.

* * * * *

    Dr. Kano stood in the darkened room, looking through the window at the clean, white operating room. There was a smile on his moustachioed face, as he stood there with his arms crossed behind his back. Long ago, he had learnt that it was best if he did not perform the experiments himself as the A-Virus was a highly infectious agent. He unfolded his arms and reached out for a microphone, which he pulled to his lips.  
"Don't struggle," he spoke into the mike. "Why do you resist anyway? Don't you want the A17-Virus to change your very genetics and make you like a God?"  
    He heard no reply from the patient, even though the room Kano was in wasn't even sound-proof.  
"Think of yourself a pioneer," continued Dr. Kano, an insane smile spreading across his lips. "Think. If this succeeds, you shall be the first in a long line of Superior Humanoids. Won't that just be grand?"  
    "Fuck you, Kano!" shouted the simian test subject. "If Wolf ever found out what you're doing..."  
    "Wolf isn't here, now is he, Oikonny?" asked Kano with a devious smile on his face. "Besides, you forget who is the true master around here. I was the one that created Gospel, not him. It's my Organisation and I do as I please." The smile on his face spread. "Now administer the virus!"  
    The researchers then injected the research subject with the A17-Virus, a sub-species of A-Virus. Moments later, a blood-curdling scream echoed through the Laboratory Complex.

**_To be continued..._**


	13. Episode 13: Road to the West

Cowboy Star Fox 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

WARNING: This fanfic will contain swearing, graphic scenes of death and violence and the use of British-English Spelling and Grammar. If any of these things offend you or if you are underaged, please do not read any further. Upon reading any word or letter in this file, you hereby agree to forfeit all your rights to sue me and that I cannot be held liable for any psychological or physical damage caused by the contents of this fanfic. Star Fox and all related characters (including me) are copyrighted by Nintendo. Scales, Dinosaur Planet and all related characters are copyrighted by Rare. The Gospel Army, Dr. Jerome Kano, the Sekai Foundation and all related characters and places are copyrighted by me.  
P.S. We're getting very close to the ending and I have a big surprise for you Cowboy Star Fox fans. To prepare for it, I suggest you begin scrutinising the fanfic very carefully for any hidden secrets. ;)

* * * * *

Episode 13: Road to the West  
    The original A-Virus, the A-5 Virus, was presented to Dr. Kano in a vial by Wolf O'Donnell. Apparently, O'Donnell had taken it straight from Andross' Main Laboratory in Banepolis, the Capital of Venom. The lupine had claimed the A-5 Virus, a retrovirus, was the basis of all the gene vectors Andross used in his genetic engineering experiments, and was responsible in creating Andross' very first bio-weapon and the three bio-weapons that Star Fox destroyed– the ones on Aquas, Solar and Titania.  
    Apparently, the A-Virus had some origins in a retrovirus favoured by gene therapists. The original was supposed to be a modified, non-disease-causing retrovirus used to directly insert a healthy copy of a gene into the patient's target chromosomes and thus override the effects of the faulty copy. It was a technology meant to cure life-threatening genetic disorders, but Andross had taken the virus he used when developing the Universal Vaccine and crossed it with the retrovirus, turning it into something hideous, something that could create life-threatening biological weapons. (A prime example of how everything has a light and dark side to it).  
    Fox thought back to the events documented in the report he had received from Pepper. Kano had found a use for the A-Virus and had started creating different strains of the A-Virus, each with its unique genes and unique binding proteins on its capsid surface. Each strain would infect a different cell type, yet it seemed that Kano was working towards creating a strain that would infect all types of cells, so as to be able to create a Super Race that he called the Aristocrats. They were supposed to be a superior race, one that would wipe out the current ones that existed in the Lylat System.  
    The entire concept stank of the disinfectant that was the main ingredient for ethnic cleansing, and that was what scared Fox the most. Nothing before had ever scared him so much than the possible genocide of all life from the Lylat System. There had only been two other examples of genocide in the Lylat System. One was on Cerinia. The other was on Dinosaur Planet, where Scales had wiped out all the Earthwalkers in the Krazoa Palace.  
    So why was it that the Lylat Alliance was so willing to keep the entire situation a secret? Just to save face? Or was it, as Pepper claimed, just so that the public wouldn't panic?  
    Doubt was beginning to seep in and Fox began to wonder whether the Lylat System he lived in really was the peaceful solar system he had originally thought it to be. Had it always been like this– full of cover-ups and deceit? Fox felt sick just thinking about it and he was in a way, glad that his wounded shoulder had prevented him from going with the others. Still, he was becoming even more sick with the thought of what could happen to Falco and Krystal.  
    It was only the two that were investigating a former Syndicate casino and Fox began to wonder whether that was enough. What if something happened to one of them? There was no Lylat Police to back them up. There was no one to back them up.  
    "Slip, how are they doing?" asked Fox, as he swivelled round in his chair.  
    "Okay," replied Slippy, as he turned to face the vulpine. "They're getting somewhere with this guy Falco's tracked down."  
    Fox didn't say a thing in reply to Slippy's comment. Was there any need to?  
"Okay," he said after a while with a nod of his head. "Keep me informed."  


    Lord's House was one of the fanciest casinos on Katina. The place had once been the mansion of a rich nobleman, but the aristocrat had a weakness for gambling which had led to his financial downfall. The entire place was bought by the Lylat Syndicate as payment for his outstanding debts.     Prior to the Syndicate's fall, it had been a major source of income for the both the Syndicate and the Gospel Army. Money earned from the casino had been pumped mainly into the Gospel Army's spending and the rest had gone to the Syndicate. But since the Syndicate's fall?  
    The tuxedo that Falco wore was obviously rented, yet he still looked like the James Bond of the avian world with it on.  
"Look here, Kev," snarled Falco angrily, as he lifted the striped feline up by the collar of his shirt. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way." (He had always wanted to say that). "It's your choice." Falco then gave the feline a glare so cold it made Fortuna look like a tropical paradise.  
    "Falc', I can't tell you!" protested the feline bartender. "Look, you don't know what you're dealing with. You can't just go around opposing these guys. They're far more powerful than you can even imagine." The bartender was visibly shaking and it was clear that it wasn't because of Falco's intimidation.  
    "Who is in charge here?" shouted Falco loudly. "Who's in charge, Kev? Is it Gospel? Is the Gospel Army in charge here?"  
    Krystal, who was also dressed the part, had a worried look on her face as she observed Falco's questioning. It was far too loud and she had a feeling that it would attract the casino's security.  
"Falco, relax," she told the avian, as she rested a hand on his shoulder. "If you carry on like this, the security guards will come in for sure."  
    "Falco, go," stated the feline sternly. "Leave this place and don't come back. It's for your own good. If you stay here, they'll get you for sure."  
    "Who will, Kev?" asked Krystal sternly, as she slowly pushed Falco aside. She suddenly heard a heavy thump and then saw Falco crash to the ground seconds later. Krystal was about to whirl around, when she felt a sudden sharp blow to her head and then everything went black.  
    "Take them to the Main Lab."  


    "Fox!" squeaked Slippy suddenly, as he rose from his seat. "Something's gone wrong!"  
    "What?" exclaimed Fox in complete surprise. He rose quickly from his seat, leaping out of it and on to the metallic floor. The vulpine rushed straight over to where Slippy was, stopping mere inches away from the control panel and the monitors. He saw what was displayed on the monitor. "I knew it!" he cried. "I knew they shouldn't have gone it alone. We have to go after them."  
    "No, wait!" protested Slippy. "Those guys are going to take them straight to the Main Lab. We should wait until they're actually there, then we can bust the entire Orgnisation."  
    The vulpine didn't like the sound of that. He knew that Slippy did have a point, but Fox wasn't so willing to risk their lives.  
"Slippy, I'm going down there now," he told the amphibian sternly. "I don't care about the mission. Falco and Krystal are friends. We can't let them be taken off to some laboratory to be experimented on." Fox turned his back to Slippy before the frog could say another thing. "I'll be seeing you later."  
    Slippy hadn't expected such a fiery outburst from Fox. From Falco, it would have been very expected, but from Fox, however... The amphibian was left speechless.  
"Fox, wait, you can't go!" protested Slippy. He was worried for the vulpine. Fox was a role model to him and Slippy would never forgive himself if Fox was killed during action. "You can't go. Not with your arm in its current condition."  
    The frog heard no reply from Fox. He thought hard. What would get the vulpine to stop from going?  
"Fox, you can't go now," he cried, as he followed the vulpine down the corridors of the Great Fox. "If you go now, you'll end up getting Falco and Krystal killed for sure."  
    "Then what am I supposed to do, Slip?" shouted Fox, as he turned round to glare angrily at the amphibian. "I can't just wait here and let them be taken to the Lab, can I? The moment they set foot there, they'll be experimented on by that freak, Kano. I can't let that happen, Slippy. I can't let that happen."  
    "Well, Fox, then I reckon you'd need some back-up," said a sultry voice that made them both turn round. It was Katt and she was smiling at them. "And I'm just the kind of girl that'll help you out of this jam."  
    Fox was surprised. How did Katt get on to the ship?  
"Katt?" he exclaimed in complete disbelief. "How'd you get here?"  
    "Now, is that anyway to greet a girl?" asked Katt in reply to his question, as she walked round from the corner of the corridor. "I thought you'd be happy to see me, after all, I can help you beat the Gospel Army once and for all." She walked past Fox and then stopped, looking up and down the corridor. "Fox, d'you mind getting everyone gathered together. I've managed to find me some info that I reckon you'd like to hear."  
    The vulpine shook his head in reply to her request.  
"No can do, Katt," he told her. "The others have been captured by Gospel."  
    A horrified look spread on Katt's face. She knew that meant Falco.  
"No, Falco? Captured?" she exclaimed in disbelief. That only meant one thing. "We have to get down there now. They're in big trouble."  
    "You're telling me," retroted Fox with a sigh.  
    "I'll fly you down there, sugar," offered Katt, as she grabbed him by the hand. "Now come on!"  
    Slippy was about to protest but he realised the futility of it.  
"Fox, wait!" he cried out. "Don't forget your holo-communicator!" He reached into his pocket. Somewhere in it, he had Fox's holo-comm. He knew he did. He'd only been working on it an hour ago. Ah! There it was. "Here, catch!" he called out, as he fished it out of his pocket and then lobbed it through the air.

* * * * *

    The walls were white, the floor was white, the ceiling was white, the light was white and the brightness was blinding. Within this brightness, nothing stirred. There was no movement, except for the slow rise and fall of Oikonny's chest. Andrew Oikonny, former Star Wolf member and nephew of the late Dr. Andross, lay prostrate on the bed within the white room. He did not move. He did not stir.  
    Not since the A-17 Virus had been injected in him, had he moved. It had paralysed his very body and left him in a comatose state. Oikonny would not move. Oikonny would not speak nor think. He was dead to the world.  
    The Gospel Army scientist looked down at his clipboard and then raised his gaze to look at the prone body of Andrew Oikonny. He wrote down one phrase on the paper, 'Still no change', and then left the clipboard at the base of the bed. The man left the room and closed the door firmly behind him.  
    Eyes snapped wide open and gazed lifelessly at the ceiling. Limbs stirred. And then with one piercing scream he woke.  


    Scales staggered through the clearing tired and beaten. His clothes were torn in places and ragged. He looked ahead of him and saw a hospital within the darkness of the night. A smile spread across his scaly face. One hand rested on the bark of a tree and within one clenching movement of his robotic fingers, he gouged out chunks of wood from the trunk.  
"Gospel," he growled, as he stood there glaring at the hospital. Then he staggered out from underneath the boughs of the trees and made his way towards the hospital.

* * * * *

    Katt slammed the brakes and the entire car skidded to a halt.  
"What the...?" she exclaimed in disbelief, upon seeing the blockade in front of them. "I thought you said the Army wanted to keep this all under wraps."  
    "They did," replied Fox, as he looked in front of him. He didn't get it. Why was there a police blockade? He got out of the car as quickly as possible and walked ahead. "Excuse me, what's going on here?" The man in the trenchcoat turned round and turned out to be a very familiar canine. "Bill? Bill, what are you doing here? I thought you agreed with Pepper to not interfere."  
    The grey-furred canine turnedh is head to look back at the hospital momentarily, before he turned to face Fox.  
"Fox, I'm so glad you came!" exclaimed Bill. "We've got a situation down here. Scales bust loose of prison last night and now he's holed up in that hospital with hostages."  
    A thought went through Fox's mind. Was this a ploy by the Gospel Army to take the public's attention away from them, while they move their headquarters from out of underneath the hospital?  
"How long has he been in there?" asked Fox in a take-charge manner. He listened to Bill, as the canine explained everything about how Scales had been in there for an hour now and how the SharpClaw had patients hostage. Fox listened as Bill explained how Scales wouldn't allow anyone near the hospital. "What are his demands?"  
    "That's the thing, Fox; he hasn't made any," replied Bill.  
    "Sounds like a little old trick to me," stated Katt calmly.  
    Fox nodded his head slowly. It sounded like a trick to him too.  
"Bill, you've got to distract him somehow while me and Katt go in," he told the canine. "Falco and Krystal are in there, and they need to be rescued before Gospel does anything to them." He saw the look of surprise appear on Bill's face and then explain all the events to the canine and how they had tracked Falco and Krystal down to this hospital. "Bill, we need to get in there and quickly."  
    Bill turned to face the hospital and the police officers all around him.  
"Okay," he sighed. "We'll do it. Just tell me how much time you need and we'll try our best."  


    Falco tugged at the restraints that held him down on to the cold, hard, metallic table. Deep down, he knew that he hadn't much time before the Gospel scientists came back to administer the new A-Virus strain to his body. The clock was against him and he had to be quick if he was to survive and foil the Gospel Army's plans.  
    "I wouldn't carry on struggling, if I were you."  
    For that moment in time, Falco stopped and craned his head to try and to see whom had spoken. The avian saw an simian standing not too far away in a white labcoat. He noticed the Gospel Army symbol on the breastpocket, but he also noticed that this male simian had quite wrinkled skin and had no fur on his face or his hands. His hair was a grey, untidy, tangled mess and underneath his nobbly nose was a moustache of the same quality as his hair.  
    The man matched the photograph he had seen in Fox's file. Falco knew who this person was.  
"You're Dr. Jerome Kano," stated Falco bitterly. So this was the real man behind the Gospel Army, the mad scientist that had built the terrorist organisation.  
    "That's right, Lombardi," replied Kano with a nod of his bald head. A smile curled his lips, as he walked towards the bound avian. "You and the Star Fox Team have been a thorn in my side for too long," he told the falcon. "Yet, the surprising thing is, that I bet that none of you knew until recently." He chuckled at the thought of it. "It's amazing how lucky you disgusting creatures are. You manage to oppose me and prolong your existence without even trying. Yet that will all soon change."  
    Falco strained against his restraints.  
"You won't get away with this, Kano!" he shouted at the old man. "Fox will come and he'll dash Gospel to bits!"   
    "Who do you think he is?" asked Kano curiously, as he walked away and towards another table not too far away from Falco's. "He is no hero," he told Falco, as he walked straight up to the other table, on which Krystal lay. "He is more of a bumbling bafoon. All he has done so far is out of pure luck. Such inferior creatures could not possibly be so smart and strong as to oppose my plans."  
    "You're wrong," retorted Krystal angrily. "Fox is a great fox. He will stop you, just like he stopped Andross."  
    Kano laughed at Krystal.  
"How can you be so sure?" he asked her. "Andross was nothing compared to my genius. Besides, he won't be able to get here quick enough to stop me from achieving my goal! It won't be long before my Super Race is completed. The first Aristocrat will walk upon this world and they will obliterate you inferior hunks of flesh." He turned his back to her and began walking towards the door of the operating room. "The old world will be burned to the ground and the new era of the Aristocrat race will rise from the ashes of the old."  
    The door in front of Kano opened and two Gospel scientists came in.  
"Administer the new A-Virus," ordered Kano sternly. "If you need me, I'll be checking up on Oikonny."  
    There was a sudden snapping as Krystal finally managed to cut through her restraints. She grabbed the nearest thing to hand and flung it at one of the scientists. It happened to be a metallic tray and it knocked the Gospel scientist out cold. Krystal saw the other scientist rush at her and she rushed him, leaping into the air and performing a roundhouse kick so powerful that it knocked the scientist out cold in an instant.  
    She landed back on the floor and then turned to face Kano.  
"Now, it's your turn," she told him.  
    "You miserable fox, you'll pay for this!" screamed Kano, before he pressed a button on the wall and set off a deafening alarm. "I'll make you pay for this!" he laughed, before running down the corridor.  
    "Hey! Don't forget me!" cried out Falco, before Krystal could even give chase to Kano.  
    "Sorry," apologised Krystal, as she rushed back over to the avian and undid the restraints hastily. Her sensitive vulpine hearing could hear the sound of footsteps over the wailing of the alarms. She knew that if she didn't hurry, they'd be knee deep in Gospel Army guards and completely overwhelmed. "There you go!"  
    The restraints were undone. Falco leapt off the table.  
"That's much better," he exclaimed, as he stretched his arms.  
    "Come on!" cried Krystal, as she grabbed Falco by the feathered hand and quickly pulled him along after her. She knew they had to hurry if they were were...  
    It was too late. The guards had already arrived and they were outnumbered.

**_To be continued..._**


	14. Episode 14: Want it all Back

Cowboy Star Fox 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

WARNING: This fanfic will contain swearing, graphic scenes of death and violence and the use of British-English Spelling and Grammar. If any of these things offend you or if you are underaged, please do not read any further. Upon reading any word or letter in this file, you hereby agree to forfeit all your rights to sue me and that I cannot be held liable for any psychological or physical damage caused by the contents of this fanfic. Star Fox and all related characters (including me) are copyrighted by Nintendo. Scales, Dinosaur Planet and all related characters are copyrighted by Rare. The Gospel Army, Dr. Jerome Kano, the Sekai Foundation and all related characters and places are copyrighted by me.

* * * * *

Episode 14: Want it all Back  
    "Miserable fools," growled Kano angrily, as he made his way through the shiny, clean lab. It was unnervingly clean, more sterile than even a hospital. The laboratory was enough to put the fear of hospitals into any person. "I'll teach them to mess with me." He reached out and grabbed a vial from the rack, simultaneously reaching out to press a button on the intercom that lay not too far away.  
    "This is Dr. Kano," announced the human sternly. "Prepare my personal escape ship." He let go of the button soon after that, after all, he had more important things to do. Rolling the vial in his hands, he checked that it was the right one. "I'll teach them. I'll set up a new laboratory and continue my research on my wonderful virus. Then they'll all pay. The Gospel Army is forever! All hail the Gospel Army!"  
    There was a deep chuckling behind Kano.  
"Did I hear right? Are you claiming ownership of **_my_** virus?" asked a voice from behind Kano that mad the scientist whirl round.  
    "You?" exclaimed Kano in surprise, before his head fell down to the floor, followed seconds later by his now headless body.

* * * * *

    "I don't know the meaning of the word, 'outnumbered'," commented Krystal, before grabbing the nearest thing in hand and brandishing it menacingly. "Come on then," she said, gesturing for them to approach her. "Bring it on." She saw one of them rush straight at her and with one swift kick, she sent a trolley flying at the guard, knocking him backwards with the force of the blow.  
    The other guards rushed straight towards them.  
    Falco had an idea as to why they weren't opening fire. Kano probably wanted them alive and in one piece. The avian dived underneath a punch and scooped up a scalpel from the floor, rising back to his feet. With a graceful twirl, he cut through the strap of the guard's machine gun and whisked the weapon away from the feline.  
"Thanks for this," he commented, before headbutting the guard on the back of the head with it. "All right, you guys. Hands up in the air or I'll shoot!"  
    None of them complied. Perhaps, Falco thought, he was wrong about Kano wanting them in one piece. The thought of how many lasers would be fired at him, made him wonder whether he had put his foot in. Out of desperation, he aimed skywards and fired.  
    The lights went out. Everything went black.  


    The lights went out. Everything went black. Which is a fancy way of saying, he was knocked unconscious.  
    Fox held his furry fist and caressed it with his other hand.  
"Man, he had a hard head," commented Fox, as he looked at the sprawled unconscious figure that was Scales. He looked up and down the place. Where were Scales' accomplices? There wasn't a single one to be found. "Katt, you call for them to come in and help the patients and staff out," he ordered Katt sternly. "I'm going down."  
    "What?" exclaimed Katt in surprise. "Down where? The Gospel Base? Are you kidding me? You can't go down there alone!"  
    "Just watch me," replied Fox, before he turned his back on her and made his way towarsd the elevators. He reached out to press the button and call the elevator that would take him down to the very depths of a man-made Hell, but a hand reached out and stopped him. "Look, Katt, you can't stop me." He looked up. It wasn't Katt.  
    "Fox," said Fara sternly, "you can't go down there alone." She worried for him, like the time she worried for him when he went down into Andross' bunker alone. This was no different from the other times. The danger was there, she could sense it. "You'll be killed for sure."  
    For a moment, Fox didn't even say a thing in reply. It was as if he had deliberately chosen not to speak to her, as he waited for the elevator to come up. It was as if he didn't even care how she had managed to get in.  
"Fara," he finally said, "I have to do this." He turned to face her. "Falco and Krystal are down there and it's all my fault. I can't just stand by and let Gospel kill them."  
    Fara shook her head with a sigh.  
"Fox, look at your shoulder," she told him. "You're in no condition to go against the Gospel Army alone. You'll be killed, before you can even rescue them. Please, Fox. Let me go with you."  
    There was something in Fara's eyes. Fox could see it clearly. He knew what it meant. It had been said that eyes were the window to one's soul. If that was so, then Fox could clearly see that Fara's soul was in pain. She loved him with all her heart. He could see it clearly in her eyes, in her soul.  
"Fara, I don't want you getting hurt," said Fox quietly and sternly. "I don't want anyone else getting hurt. I'm going to end this, right here and right now."  
    "But..." began Fara, only for Fox to silence her.  
    "No, don't," said Fox with a shake of his head, as he removed his finger from her muzzle. "Just promise me that you'll evacuate the entire hospital. Please, Fara."  
    The Fennec fox nodded in reply.  
"Okay," she agreed. "I'll evacuate this place. You can count on me."  
    "I know," said Fox.  
    There was a chime from the elevator and Fox looked upwards at the light above the elevator doors. Going down? The elevator doors opened in front of him and Fox stepped in.  
"I'll be seeing you, Fara," he said, as the doors started to close. Fox smiled at her and then waved, before the doors closed tightly and shut Fox off from the outside world.  
    Reaching into his pocket, Fox fished out the card he had taken from a Gospel agent. He inserted it into the slot below the buttons and then waited for a light to turn green. Once it did, he pulled the card out and the elevator started its descent.  
    As he stood there all alone in the brightly lit elevator carriage with his back to the large mirror, Fox thought of Fara and of Krystal. They both loved him. They both cared for him so much that they wouldn't have wanted him to descend into a Gospel Base. And at that point in time, as he stood there in the elevator, he realised that both of them needed him. Fara needed him to rid the Lylat System of Gospel. Krystal needed him to save her. They both needed him.  
    Fox looked up, as the elevator stopped.  
"I won't fail either of you," he announced, as the doors slid open to reveal the Gospel Army insignia. He brought out a gun, holding it firmly, ready to pull the trigger and then stepped out.  
    The vulpine looked up and down the corridor to find that bodies littered the place. Fox's furry eyebrows rose upwards, clashing together. What was going on down here? Who had caused all this mayhem? Falco? Krystal? Well, there was one way to find out.  
    Fox walked quickly over and knelt down by one of the bodies. He rolled the body over and saw that someone had slit the throat.  
    "He had it coming to him," growled a deep, bass voice.  
    In one swift movement, Fox whirled round and aimed his gun. The sight of his opponent nearly made Fox step back in horror. He had his gun aimed at what looked suspiciously like a hospital patient, but this patient looked as if she had been burnt alive.  
"Who are you?" asked Fox curiously.  
    The patient laughed in a deep voice that didn't suit her. In fact, it sounded unsettling masculine.  
"Don't tell me that you don't recognise me," the patient told Fox. She would have shook her head, but it looked as if she had been so badly burnt that her neck wouldn't allow such movement. "This is the second time that you've failed to recognise my voice, McCloud."  
    "Andross?" exclaimed Fox in complete horror. "I don't believe it! How? I killed you!"  
    The burnt patient laughed, but this time, his/her voice sounded different. It sounded as if more than one voice was laughing and in more than one place.  
    Fox whirled round and saw the canine with the slit throat rise to his feet. He looked carefully and saw that the slit throat had healed quite well, albeit with still fresh scar tissue. The voice was coming from the canine as well as the burnt patient. How was this possible?  
"I don't understand," said Fox with a shake of his head. "How is this possible?"  
    "The A-Virus," replied Andross, his voice coming out of the mouths of all the people in the corridor except for Fox's. "It was a special virus that I designed. It was specifically designed to infect the vocal chords and the brain, genetically altering them so that they would be more like my original vocal chords and brain." Andross chuckled. "I knew Kano would test my virus out and in doing so, he unwittingly created a whole army of me."  
    "You're not Andross," murmured Fox with a shake of his head. It wasn't possible for someone to survive death so many times, even if it was in virus form. "You can't be the real Andross. You're all a bunch of clones!" All this got from Andross was a laugh.  
    "Only you would fall for the same trick, more than once," laughed Andross.  
    "Only you would be mad enough to commit such an atrocity," growled Fox in reply, as he gestured around him.  
    "Karma, McCloud," retorted Andross. "It's not an atrocity. It's Karma. These people got what they deserved."  
    "An atrocity is an atrocity, Andross," shouted Fox angrily. "It doesn't matter if they deserved it or not."  
    "Maybe," said Andross thoughtfully. "However, who cares about the means, when all that matters are the results?"  
    "I care, Andross," shouted Fox in reply, as he aimed his gun at the burnt patient. "Justice is nothing, if you don't achieve it by the right means." He hesitated. Whatever he could do, Fox couldn't bring himself to shoot the burns patient or the other people that were starting to crowd into the corridor. He noticed that they were movingly stiffly, as if they were all suffering from rigor mortis.  
    Andross laughed Fox.  
"You won't shoot," he told the vulpine. "You can't shoot. Though they may have my mind and my voice, you know deep down they aren't me. If you shoot them, you'll end up killing an innocent life." Andross laughed again. "Just relax and accept your fate. All of Lylat will have my mind and be linked to each other telepathically. There will only be me and no one else!"  
    So, this was the Aristocrat race that Kano dreamed of was it? Well, Kano could keep it for all Fox cared. He looked around him and saw the Androsses close in on him.  
    Fox ran for the single burnt patient and leapt out past her. He then ran for it, in the hope that he could somehow seal off the Gospel Base from the outside world. If he could contain Andross, then it would only be a matter of time before he could finally rid the Lylat System of the mad scientist. He skidded round a corner and was suddenly shot at. Fox ducked underneath the laser, narrowly avoiding being shot in the head.  
    He aimed his laser gun and then stopped.  
"Falco?" he exclaimed in complete surprise. Fox suddenly began to wonder. Had Falco been infected with the A-Virus too? Was he too late?  
    "Fox?" exclaimed Falco. "What the Heck are you doing down here? You've got a bad arm, for fuck's sake. You should be back on the Great Fox."  
    "Fox!"  
    Krystal rushed past the blue-feathered avian and hugged Fox tightly.  
"I'm so glad to finally see you again," she cried, as she hugged him tightly. "You have no idea what it's been like down here stuck with this blue idiot."  
    "Hey, I resent that!" protested Falco angrily.  
    "Yeah, well if it wasn't for you, none of this would be happening, now would it?" retorted Krystal angrily.  
    "Hey, whoa! Slow down!" called out Fox. "What happened?"  
    "I swear to God, Fox, it wasn't my fault," was Falco's reply. "It just sort of happened."  
    Andross' laugh suddenly echoed all around them. It came from down the corridor. His voice came from the PA System. It was everywhere. Andross was everywhere.  
"You can't escape from me, McCloud!" chortled Andross. "I am everywhere and I am everyone! It will only be a matter of time before you become an A-Type just like the rest of us."  
    "Shit, they're coming!" cried Falco in horror.  
    Fox turned round and saw the shadows of the Andross clones.  
"We've got to get out of here and seal this place up," he stated sternly. "You two got any ideas as to how to do that?" He saw them shake their heads in reply. "That's no good," he sighed. "Come on, this way!"  


    Fara turned back round to faces Scales.  
"What did you say?" she asked sternly, as she marched straight up to him. She had the most intimidating look on her face, one that would have scared the toughest convict. "I said, What did you say?"  
    "I said nothing," replied Scales, as he turned his scaly face away from Fara.  
    The Fennec fox reached over and grabbed Scales by his collar, pulling him towards her.  
"You said something about the A-Virus, now tell me what it is!" she shouted at him. "Tell me now, Scales, or I'm going make you wish you were never born." She snarled at him and it was a very menacing snarl that wouldn't have looked out of place on a Tyranosaurus Rex. "Now, spit it out! Tell me or else you're going to wish your scaly arse was behind bars sooner!"  
    "Wolf told me about the A-Virus," replied Scales reluctantly. "It kills whatever it infects and alters the brain so that all infected people are connected as one."  


    Falco sprayed the ceiling with laserfire until the thing was too unstable and fell with a hideous crash. He then turned and followed Fox and Krystal through the door, closing it firmly shut behind him.  
"Uh, Fox, I hate to break it to you, but this is a dead end," he told the vulpine.  
    "Yeah, but I think we can access the records on this place," replied Fox, as he sat in front of a computer and began working it. "It would help if we knew the lay of the land, so to speak. Then we can get you two out of here."  
    Had she heard right? Had Krystal heard what she thought she had? Was Fox suggesting they leave while he stay behind and does battle against the A-Types?  
"Fox, you can't stay down here," she protested. "You'll be killed or worse, you might become one of them." She glanced towards the door as she said that, before she turned back to face Fox. "Come back up with us. We can send in a team of soldiers to clean this place up."  
    Fox sighed.  
"Krystal, I can't," he told her with a shake of his head. "You guys have to get out of here, while I deal..." He trailed off. The image on the computer monitor was that of the base's schematics. "Hello, what's this? Seems as if there's some kind of escape route near the main control room."  
    He rose up from his seat.  
"Come on, let's get going," said Fox sternly.  
    "Fox, wait!" protested Falco. "If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, then you'd better stop right now!" He knew that look on Fox's face. It was one of grim determination and Falco had seen it before. "You're not going it alone!" he shouted at Fox. "Do you hear me?"  
    "Falco, I have to do this," he told Falco sternly. "Andross has to go down and I'm the only one that can do it."  
    "Yeah and how?" retorted Falco, who was sure that Fox hadn't even an inkling as to how to fight an enemy that was everywhere.  
    "I'm going to lock this place down and blow it up," replied Fox sternly. "It's the only way." He thought about all the people that had been infected with the A-Virus and realised that they would never get better. They were as good as dead.  
    There was a huge clash as of something smashing against the metallic door. There was another clash and then another. Soon the door was torn down to reveal a bunch of black-eyed A-Types. They were all stained in blood and each one looked thin as death.  
    The A-Types all smiled at Fox.  
"It's over now, McCloud," said Andross, his voice echoing through every mouth. "Nothing you can do can stop me this time. All of Lylat shall fall under my power!"  
    "Yeah, right," scoffed Fox. "Come on, guys! Let's get him." He then grabbed a nearby chair and pushed it along its wheels, rushing straight at the A-Types. Fox bowled them. He punched one in the face, kicking the legs out from underneath the A-Type.  
    Krystal grabbed the nearest thing to hand and rushed at the nearest A-Type, dashing it over the head with the heavy manual she had torn off the desk. She wielded it like some kind of two-handed staff and was just as graceful with it as she was with her staff.  
"Take this!" she cried, as she kicked the legs out from underneath another A-Type, knocking him over.  
    "Quick, this way!" called out Fox, as he ran for it.  
    "Hey, wait up!" cried Falco, as he ran out after Fox and Krystal.  
    One of the A-Types staggered back to her feet and glared down the corridor. She laughed in Andross' voice, and the other A-Types laughed as well. All of the A-Types in the base laughed, as all of them were Andross and all of them shared the same mind.  
"I have been waiting long for this day, McCloud," sneered all of the A-Types, "the day when I can finally end the bloodline of the McCloud family!"

**_To be continued..._**


	15. Episode 15: Wo Qui Non Coin

Cowboy Star Fox 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

WARNING: This fanfic will contain swearing, graphic scenes of death and violence and the use of British-English Spelling and Grammar. If any of these things offend you or if you are underaged, please do not read any further. Upon reading any word or letter in this file, you hereby agree to forfeit all your rights to sue me and that I cannot be held liable for any psychological or physical damage caused by the contents of this fanfic. Star Fox and all related characters (including me) are copyrighted by Nintendo. Scales, Dinosaur Planet and all related characters are copyrighted by Rare. The Gospel Army, Dr. Jerome Kano, the Sekai Foundation and all related characters and places are copyrighted by me.

* * * * *

Episode 15: Wo Qui Non Coin  
    The doors opened and they stepped in.  
    Krystal wrinkled her nose in disgust at the sight of the blood that had been spilled on the floor. Then she gasped. She recognised the face that stared up from the floor. It was Kano. Dr. Kano was dead.  
"What happened here?" she exclaimed, but she didn't expect an answer.  
    "Looks like someone got their just desserts," said Falco, as he walked past her.  
    "Don't say that Falco," Fox told him with a shake of his furry head. He made his way towards the large console on one side of the wall. The vulpine saw several monitors there and each had a different display. Some displayed text. Others displayed graphs and charts. Two displayed the inside of what looked like an operating room. "I bet we can activate the escape route from here and the self destruct."  
    Fox saw all of the keypads and buttons and switches in front of them. Some glowed. Others flickered. There were so many of them.  
"Now how do you work this thing?" he wondered out loud, as he scratched his furry head. There were several options at his disposal, several switches and several buttons and none of them were labelled. He had no idea what any of them did and that called for only one cause of action... "Hm, better press all of them and see what happens." That's just what he did.  
    "Sheesh, talk about luck!" exclaimed Falco, as he saw a door slide open to reveal a tiny room that looked like the inside of an elevator.  
    The doors suddenly burst open and five A-Types marched in and at their head was...  
    "Andrew?" exclaimed Fox, as he whirled round.  
    "I've had enough of you, McCloud!" growled Andross, his voice coming from Andrew's mouth as well as that of the A-Types. "This time it ends here." All the A-Types shuffled forwards as if their limbs were too stiff to move. Some of them looked as if they had died a day ago, others looked like they were about to die. Yet all moved, as if they were still alive, as if they were all as one.  
    "For years, I've been plotting my revenge against you and the Lylat System," chuckled Andross. "I can still remember the day when I was arrested for releasing a so-called bio-weapon against Corneria." Andross laughed at that statement. Andrew then turned to face the elevator and the doors shut tight. "None of you are going to escape, you know. All of you will stay here and witness the truth and the destruction of the McCloud family."  
    "What are you wittering on about, Andross?" asked Falco curiously. "What do you mean by the truth?"  
    All the various A-Types laughed, Andross laughed.  
"It all happened fourteen years ago," began Andross in a reminiscent tone, "I was working for the Cornerian Military in developing a Super Vaccine against all types of viruses. The Vaccine was to be for the use of military personnel only and therefore its development was kept classified, so that no potential terrorists could get a hand of it." Andross chuckled at that thought. "Since it was classified, any leaks were covered up as soon as possible."  
    Fox remembered what Andross was talking about.  
"Yeah, Pepper told me all about it," stated Fox sternly. "You were the Head Researcher and when they cut your funding, you went mad."  
    "Cut my funding?" exclaimed Andross with a smile on the faces of all his A-Types. "They did no such thing. One day, there was a horrible accident that led to the spread of the virus all across Corneria. People all over Corneria died and the major cities were damaged from the accidents caused by such sick people. The media got a hold of the story and blew it out of proportions, blaming me for creating bio-weapons." All the A-Types growled at the thought of the event. "So the military made a big show of capturing me and exiling me to Venom, but do you know whose fault it really was?"  
    There was silence, and none of the A-Types made a single move. It was as if the effects of the A-Virus had weakened.  
"James McCloud!" roared Andross all of a sudden. "That fool was hired by the Alliance Military to find out if I was doing my job properly. He triggered off a security incident. I had my guards try to arrest him, but he managed to escape and in his bloody stupid attempt to escape, he smashed the lab equipment. Petri dishes with colonies of virally-infected bacteria and cells, strewn all over the place. It's no wonder my employees were infected. It was no wonder they unknowingly passed the virus out into the wide world!"  
    Fox glared angrily at Andrew. Even now, he could see the resemblance between Andrew and Andross. It was as if the A-Virus was mutating the baboon into his deceased Uncle.  
"That may be so, but it wasn't my dad's fault," he protested angrily. Never had he felt so much rage against Andross. Attacking his family was one thing, but blaming his father for the deaths of thousands? That was where he had to draw the line. "Your employees should have known that there was a virus leak, and they should have been more careful. None of those deaths had anything to do with my Dad. It sounds to me that it was all a careless mistake, brought about by careless employees that couldn't be bothered to take the proper safety precautions."  
    "It was your fault," blamed Fox, "for not installing better security measures in the labs."  
    "My fault?" screamed Andross angrily. "How dare you say that?"  
    "Andross, don't you blame my Dad for something you couldn't be bothered to do!" shouted Fox angrily.  
    "Know this McCloud, you will regret ever saying that," growled Andross angrily.  
    "Oh my...!" exclaimed Krystal in horror, as she backed off.  
    "Oh, shit, that's disgusting!" cried Falco, as he backed off too. Like Krystal, Falco saw what was happening to the A-Types behind Andrew. He could see their flesh turning to a red slimy mass that surged and bubble and began to engulf Andrew's legs. It travelled upwards, engulfing Andrew as his flesh melted into the red slime that consumed him.  
    Andross began to laugh, as he took his new form. The red goo rippled and vaguely formed the shape of his old face in its surface, as well as a growing two gigantic clawed hands.  
"Now I shall have revenge on all those that spurned me," roared Andross, as the red bubbling mass began to take on a form and a skin. "I will have my revenge and the Lylat System will burn in an inferno of hate!" His laughter was soon choked off, as if something was suddenly strangling him. Andross lurched about violently before he collapsed and began bubbling and growing to abnormal proportions.  
    The exterior of the virally created monster had Andross' brown, wrinkled skin as did the insect-like legs that grew from the base of the monster. They were, however, covered in black hairs. His claws were inhuman and shaped like that of the Granga that were used to invade Corneria. The rest of his body was nothing more than one gigantic head, Andross' head to be exact, but it was devoid of any hair at all.  
    Fox watched Andross scuttle towards him, as he brandished his gun.  
"Guys, stay back," he told Falco and Krystal sternly. He raised his gun at the blood-shot eyes set into Andross' huge head and then opened fire. "Shit! It's not doing anything!"  
    Andross roared before lashing out with a claw that struck Fox and sent the fox flying backwards. It scurried over towards Fox and raised a sharp insectoid leg before stabbing it at Fox. The A-Virus resurrected monstrosity didn't anticipate Fox rolling out of the way and firing at his exposed underside. The lasers seared into its malformed hide and Andross roared out bestially.  
    Before Andross could bring its legs crashing back down, Fox quickly ran out of the way. He raised his gun and fired at Andross' eyes again. They had always been the weakness of the huge monstrosity that Andross inevitably became.  
    Falco opened fire, shooting at the same eye Fox was shooting at.  
"Damn it, he's tough!" cried Falco.  
    A claw lashed out and hit Falco, sending him flying backwards and on to his back. Another claw lashed out at Fox, sending Fox flying into the control panel. He landed into it with a painful thud and slid down to the metallic floor.  
    Krystal quickly grabbed Falco's gun from off the floor and aimed at Andross.  
"Here, Andross!" she shouted at it, making it whirl its round to glare at her. "You want me? Come get me!" She opened fire, shooting lasers into his open mouth.  
    Andross screeched in pain and scuttled backwards, closing its mouth to avoid being shot there again. It then rushed straight towards her with the speed of a spider and lashed out with its left claw and then its right, missing both times. Seeing that Krystal had avoided both attempts at her life, Andross lowered its head and the cranium split down the middle to reveal that there was a jaw there.  
    Krystal screamed out in sheer horror, as tentacles snaked out of Andross' open head. She opened fire, elicitating a demonic screech of pain from Andross. The maw on top of Andross' head opened up wider and she could see the brain underneath, pulsing and beating like a living heart. One of the tentacles lashed out at her and wrapped itself around her waist. Krystal dropped her gun, as it squeezed her tightly.  
    "Let go!" screamed Krystal, as she did her best to pry free from the tentacle. "Let go!" The second tentacle lashed out at her and knocked her unconscious.  
    Fox dived for Falco's gun and picked it up with his bad arm. He raised it with his gun and winced in pain. Despite the pain in his bad shoulder, he kept the gun aloft and aimed it.  
"Hey! You heard her! Let her go!" shouted Fox angrily, and he pulled the trigger. With both guns ablaze, he opened fire into Andross' open maw.  
    Andross screamed out in pain and threw Krystal's unconscious body at Fox, knocking the fox off his feet. Lifting its head, Andross then turned to glare at Fox. It scuttled straight towards and lashed out with a claw. Fox leapt scrambled away, but was too slow. The monstrosity scraped his chest and left a bloody claw mark. Andross howled inhumanly, as if he had lost all sentience. The monstrosity scrambled towards Fox and lifted one spidery leg, its pointed edge hovering above Fox's heart.  
    Falco's gun was raised and Fox pulled the trigger, letting the lasers sear Andross' underbelly. Fox knew that Falco's gun was more powerful than the one he brought with him and so let Andross have it. The monstrous creature scampered backwards, crashing into the wall and crumpling it with its sheer weight.  
    This gave Fox an idea. If he could somehow get Andross to fall onto the console, perhaps the electricity would electrocute Andross to death. It certainly would be a long shot, but he didn't have any other ideas at that point.  
    First, he turned to face Krystal.  
"Krystal, you okay?" he asked her, only to find that she was still unconscious. An angry snarl spread across Fox's face. How dare Andross hurt the ones he loved? That was it, the final straw! He'd show that freak show the consequences of messing with his loved ones!  
    He staggered back to his feet and then glared at Andross.  
"It's said the harder they are, the harder they fall," stated Fox. He lifted his gun and aimed it at Andross. "Let's see how true that really is, shall we?"  
    The strange monstrosity that was Andross pulled itself out of the dent in the wall. It roared wordlessly, before charging straight at Fox and slashing at the vulpine with one claw. Andross missed. It swung again with his other claw, but missed. This time, a pincer movement, with both of its claws swinging at Fox at the same time. Once again it missed, after all, it was much larger and less graceful than Fox.  
    A red sphere of energy suddenly shot towards Andross and hit it in the eye, making the monstrosity scream out in pain and stagger backwards.  
    Fox turned round and saw Falco, brandishing Krystal's staff.  
    "I always wondered how she did that," commented Falco wryly.  
    "Where'd you find that?" asked Fox.  
    "Over there," said Falco as he gestured with his head over to a workbench cluttered with tools and devices. "Seems as if Kano had a habit of taking weapons apart. Good thing he didn't get round to taking this thing apart yet, huh?" He aimed her staff at Andross and then braced himself. "You ready for this, Fox?"  
    Fox laughed.  
"As ready as I'll ever be," he told Falco.  
    "Then let's do this!"  
    The two of them then opened fire, shooting at Andross' body. Each shot blasted apart the weak flesh to expose the inner core of the beast that had been revived. Neither Fox nor Falco relented with their onslaught against Andross.  
    Andross screamed, shaking its head as the flesh started falling apart to expose the pulsing brain underneath. The claws crashed to the floor with a hideous splat, but the rest of Andross still stood on its spidery legs. The surface of its brain began to crackle with electricity, as it crawled slowly towards Fox and Falco.  
    A bolt of lightning split the air and both vulpine and avian were flung backwards.  
    With rapid speed, Andross scuttled over and stepped on Fox's gun and Krystal's staff. It towered over the two men and, if there was a mouth on Andross, it would have smiled. As it was, all that it did was crackle with electricity, its brain pulsing like the beating of a heart.  
    "Here, Andross! Feast on this!"  
    A cable was suddenly thrown at Andross and its cut end with its live wires touched the monstrosity's flesh. Electricity suddenly surged through every part of Andross' body, each limb convulsing with the surge of power. It was unable to move, paralysed as it was from the passing current.  
    Fox saw Andross lift one of his spidery limbs. He rushed forward and grabbed Krystal's staff, a foolish thing to do, and then leapt back. He set the staff and then lifted into the air, before letting its magic lift him up into the air and pound the ground creating a shockwave that toppled Andross over and onto the control panel. Fox watched as Andross crashed into it, smashing it with its weight.  
    There was an explosion and spray of sparks. Andross' body convulsed rapidly and then caught on fire and began to burn.  
    "Whoa!" exclaimed Falco, as he got back up to his feet and watched in morbid fascination as Andross' new body burned.  
    "We'd better get out of here and fast," commented Krystal, as she took her staff from Fox's hand.  
    "Thanks for saving us back there," thanked Fox.  
    "There's no time for that now," protested Krystal, as a feminine voice suddenly announced that the Self-Destruct had been activated. "Come on!" She ran for the open doors of the escape elevator, followed closely by Fox and Falco.  
    The doors slowly slid shut and the elevator rose upwards quickly.  
    Not fast enough, according to Falco, who was fiddling with the controls.  
"Come on! Come on!" he cried. "Can't this thing go any faster?"  
    Krystal noticed a large wound on Fox's chest.  
"Oh my gosh, you're hurt" she exclaimed in horror.  
    "It's nothing, really," said Fox in a dismissive tone of voice. "As long as you're okay, I'll be fine." He smiled weakly at her. "Really, I'll be fine."  
    "Still, you'd better see a doctor the moment we get back up," suggested Krystal.  
    Fox's keen vulpine sense of hearing suddenly detected something. It was like a growling noise.  
"Hey, do you hear that?" asked Fox, as he listened carefully.  
    Falco listened.  
"Nope," he replied with a shake of his head. Naturally, his sense of hearing wasn't as good as that of Fox's or Krystal's. All he could hear was the whirring of the elevator's gears and... Falco was knocked over as the elevator jolted. "Okay, I definitely heard that."  
    Something sharp pierced the bottom of the elevator carriage and began tearing at the floor.  
    "Shit! It's Andross!" cried Fox, as he saw the brain of the monster through the hole in the floor. He stepped sideways, as one of Andross' spidery legs stabbed through the floor. "Guess he just won't lie down and die."  
    Krystal grabbed her staff firmly and aimed it at Andross.  
"Don't worry," she told him. "I can handle him." She fired a steady cold stream of air at one of Andross' limbs, freezing it. Another one stabbed at her, but she narrowly avoided being speared by it.  
    "He's holding us back!" cried Falco.  
    "Take this!" cried Krystal, as she whacked Andross' frozen leg with her staff and shattered it. Just to make sure, she fired a blast of energy down at Andross, hitting it in the brain.  
    They all heard a shriek of pain and saw Andross fall.  
    Falco felt the elevator rise faster. He could sense at what level they were just from the pressure around them. Below, he saw a brilliant flash of light and reasoned that the explosions had begun. If he could, he would have been sweating bullets at that time. But sweating's for pigs and humans and he was neither.  
    The elevator jerked to a halt and the doors opened. They scrambled out quickly, making a break through the deserted halls of the evacuated hospital. Moments later, the entire hospital went up in flames and dyed the sky blood red with the glow of the fires.  
    They all looked behind them and sighed with relief. The nightmare was all over.  


* * * * * * * * * *

What happens next in the fanfic depends on how observant you were when reading it. Answer the below question and follow the instructions to determine which ending you read. Which one is the true ending? Well, it depends on how you answer the question, of course...

Up to this point in the fanfic, how many times does the name 'Ookami' secretly appear?  
    A. 0 times ....... go to **Epilogue A: _Real Indication_**  
    B. 1 times ....... go to **Epilogue B: _Encore un Verre_**  
    C. 2 times ....... go to **Epilogue C: _Pretty with a Pistol_**


	16. Epilogue A: Real Indication

Cowboy Star Fox 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

WARNING: This fanfic will contain swearing, graphic scenes of death and violence and the use of British-English Spelling and Grammar. If any of these things offend you or if you are underaged, please do not read any further. Upon reading any word or letter in this file, you hereby agree to forfeit all your rights to sue me and that I cannot be held liable for any psychological or physical damage caused by the contents of this fanfic. Star Fox and all related characters (including me) are copyrighted by Nintendo. Scales, Dinosaur Planet and all related characters are copyrighted by Rare. The Gospel Army, Dr. Jerome Kano, the Sekai Foundation and all related characters and places are copyrighted by me.

* * * * *

Epilogue A: Real Indication  
    Fox looked down at his drink, as he sat at the bar. He sighed miserably. With the destruction of the Gospel Army and the Lylat Syndicate, the Star Fox Team was now just as obsolete as it had ever been. On the plus side, he had helped prevent a virus from spreading, one that would have made everyone just like Andross. On the other hand, however, he was bored and the Team had nothing to do except looking out for hardened convicts.  
    It was back to being a bounty hunter, scouring the Lylat System for the scum of the Galaxy and handing them over to the police for rich pickings. An unstable source of income, but no more unstable than when they had been mercenaries during the Lylat War. Of course, then, they were always sure of having a job no matter what.  
    He glanced sideways to see the other people that frequented this bar, before downing the tenth pint of beer that night. 'Damn stuff's weaker than Slippy', he thought to himself, still not feeling the intoxicating effects of the alcohol.  
    "I thought I'd find you here, buddy," said a familiar voice from behind Fox, as a blue-feathered avian sat down beside him. "So, you thought you could come here and get the bounty all for yourself, huh?"  
    A smile spread across Fox's muzzle. Well, there was one thing he knew and that was that he would always have a friend.  
"Nah, you know I wouldn't have done that," he said in reply to Falco's question. He looked behind him at the bar and saw his empty glass and the several others that surrounded it. Hadn't anyone bothered to remove those? "You want me to buy something while we're waiting?"  
    For a while, Falco didn't reply. It was as if he lost in thought.  
"Yeah, you can buy me a pint," replied Falco with a nod of his head. The avian then waited a while and Fox ordered his drink. "So, is it true?"  
    "What?" asked Fox curiously.  
    "The beer, is it weaker than Slippy on tranquilisers?" asked Falco. He had heard of the Government's meddling, which had led to all alcoholic drinks being 0.0001% alcohol and 99% anything else they could chuck in there.  
    Fox exhaled deeply at the mention of it.  
"It tastes like sugar water," he told Falco, as the bartender put the avian's drink down near the avian. "Go on, try it yourself." Moments later, he found that a Peregrine Falcon sputtering was one of the most funniest things he had ever seen. "Falco, you should have seen yourself!"  
    "I'd rather not," replied Falco angrily. "Man, that stuff's vile!" He looked back at Fox, expecting a grin on the vulpine's face but he saw nothing. The furry features were devoid of any expression. "Say, Fox, you okay? Fox?" He got no reply from Fox, as if the vulpine was far, far away. Falco waved a feathered wing in front of Fox. "Hey, Fox! Corneria to Fox, anybody home?"

    _So I'm goin' down this street_
    _and I'm tryin' not to smile_
    _'cause the street is where I'm goin'_
    _And the curb is at the side_
    _By the sewer_
    _ where the rain goes down_
    _Like this girl I once knew_
    _'cause the sewer is so hollow_
    _and the yell!_
    _could last forever_

    "Huh? Sorry, you say something?" asked Fox.  
    Falco looked at the vulpine with a worried expression on his face.  
"Yeah, you feeling okay, buddy?" he asked his vulpine friend.  
    "I'm fine, Falco, replied Fox with a smile on his face. "Say, Falc', you don't mind staying out here and looking out for the bounty do you?" asked Fox, as he rose from his seat. "It's just I have to heed the call of nature."  
    "No, go ahead," said Falco.  
    Fox nodded in thanks and made his way past all the drunks in the bar. How they had managed to get drunk, he didn't know, but they were drunk. 'They're probably drinking anti-freeze on the side,' he thought to himself, as he made his way through into the men's room. He found it completely empty and without even thinking, he locked himself in completely and made his way over to the mirrors hanging over the sinks.

    _Like the night my girl went away_
    _Gone off in a world filled with stuff_
    _Lights start changin'_
    _And there's wires in the air_
    _And the asphalt, man,_
    _ is all around me_
    _And I look down_
    _and my shoes are so far away from me_
    _Man, I can't believe it_
    _I got a real indication_
    _Of a laugh comin' on_
    _I got a real indication_
    _of a laugh comin' on_

    The place was one of those dingy affairs, covered in grime; it was the sort you usually found dead bodies in.  
    Still, that didn't deter Fox. He walked over to one of the sinks and peered into the mirror just to look at himself. It had been ages since he had really looked at himself and got to know himself a little better. Fox looked into the mirror and saw himself staring back at himself with ten times more intensity that he put in. Perhaps they were distorting mirrors, but Fox severely doubted that.

    _That old wind_
    _is howling like a cold steel train_
    _Girl has left me_
    _Not comin' back again_
    _Got rusted bullet holes in the Dodge_
    _And a heartburn like a solar flare_

    That got Fox thinking. Was the person looking back at him from the mirror really him? Who was he really? Silence. There was nothing but silence.  
    His thoughts caught up with him and Fox began to think about what the A-Types had said. Was his father really responsible for the release of the virus into the Cornerian cities? Were the thousands of deaths due to the virus, really because of his father? And if that was true? What did that make him? What did that make Fox McCloud? The son of the man that had inadvertently killed thousands?  
    "No, I'm not that," Fox told himself. "I am the Son of James McCloud, a hero."  
    Fox looked more intently at himself within the mirror. As he continued to look, he swore that it was not him that looked back but his father.  
"Trust your instincts," Fox found himself saying. "Never give up." And it sounded as if his father had just said those words, not him. "Dad, I won't fail you," he told the older fox that looked back at him from the mirror. "I promise that I won't fail you," promised Fox again. "I'll make you proud."

    _The grass by the house is dry, man_
    _And a horsefly_
    _buzzes, buzzes, buzzes!_
    _by the big mistake in the distance, man_
    _I see myself start to smile_
    _I got a real indication_
    _of a laugh comin' on_

    He turned the tap and watched the water fall down into the basin of the sink and swirl down the drain. There was something tantalising about the sparkling of the water. Fox grabbed both sides of the sink and lowered his head. He looked down and saw the water swirling away. It was clear and pure, more pure than anything the bar would ever serve and yet Fox didn't really think about how strange that was.  
    All that he could see was the water swirling away, draining away like the last vestiges of his childhood innocence when his parents were taken away from him, like... like something... something that Fox couldn't quite put his finger on. Then all that disappeared, like the water that swirled down into the drain.  
    And with a strength that far surpassed him, he rammed his head into the mirror, cracking it. Blood trickled down his forehead, as he began to laugh.  
    "Trust your instincts," he chuckled to himself, mocking the very words that he had said earlier. "Trust your instincts. Trust your instincts." He laughed out louder now, as he looked into the cracked mirror; and if he saw Andross staring back at him, he did not notice or at least, he did not care. "Trust your instincts," he laughed out much louder than ever in a more spiteful tone of voice than before. "Trust your instincts!"  
    And Andross laughed with him. And from then on, Andross would walk with Fox and if anybody noticed, they would go the same way as Kano did.  
    And in the end there was Andross, and Andross was with Fox, and Andross was Fox. Where there had once been one, now there were two.

_**Now you must die.**_

You answered the question incorrectly. Try searching through the fanfic again.  
P.S. The lyrics featured in this epilogue are from David Lynch's _A Real Indication_, music by Angelo Badalamenti and Thought Gang, vocals by Angelo Badalamenti.


	17. Epilogue B: Encore un Verre

Cowboy Star Fox 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

WARNING: This fanfic will contain swearing, graphic scenes of death and violence and the use of British-English Spelling and Grammar. If any of these things offend you or if you are underaged, please do not read any further. Upon reading any word or letter in this file, you hereby agree to forfeit all your rights to sue me and that I cannot be held liable for any psychological or physical damage caused by the contents of this fanfic. Star Fox and all related characters (including me) are copyrighted by Nintendo. Scales, Dinosaur Planet and all related characters are copyrighted by Rare. The Gospel Army, Dr. Jerome Kano, the Sekai Foundation and all related characters and places are copyrighted by me.

* * * * *

Epilogue B: Encore un Verre  
    Fox looked down at his drink, as he sat the bar. He sighed miserably. With the destruction of the Gospel Army and the Lylat Syndicate, the Star Fox Team was now just as obsolete as they had ever been since the defeat of the Venomian Empire. A smirk spread across his face, as he thought about how it had been Andross that was behind everything from the Lylat War, to Scales' rise to power and to the Gospel Army.  
"Andross sure was busy," he said to himself quietly.  
    Thoughts then turned to all the deceit that had led up to the events of the past, those horrific events. Could they have been prevented if the Super Vaccine Project had never been started? It looked that way. To Fox, it seemed as if all the problems were first started by the Cornerian Military. Was Andross really to blame for all that he did or did he have a helping hand in turning the Lylat System into the Hell hole that it had become?  
    Well, for now, it was back to being a bounty hunter, scouring the Lylat System for the scum of the Galaxy and handing them over to the police for rich pickings. An unstable source of income, but no more unstable than when they had been mercenaries during the Lylat War. Of course, then, they were always sure of having a job no matter what.  
    "You know, Fox, I've been thinking," said Peppy, as he sat on the opposite side of Falco, "is Andross really dead? I mean, we've killed him three times now."  
    "What are you saying, Pep?" asked Falco. "You think he can't take a hint and doesn't know that we all hate his guts?" He laughed and finished off his beer. "Peppy, Andross is gone for good this time. There's no doubt about it. He's dead as a doornail. He is an ex-Andross."  
    Slippy shook his head with a heavy sigh.  
"I just don't understand it myself," he said to the others. "Once you're dead, you're dead. The Andross you guys faced down at Dinosaur Planet and the Andross you faced down underneath the hospital couldn't have been the same Andross." He then pushed his beer away from himself. "There's no possible way that you can come back from the dead, especially if your body is blown to smithereens." Slippy thought up of an explanation and he could only come up with one. "The different Androsses you came across could only have been clones of the real thing."  
    "What, including the one we trashed at Venom?" queried Falco, as he placed his glass back down on the table. "No way!"  
    "It's possible," mused Fox.  
    "Hey, we shouldn't be thinking about something depressing like that," protested Krystal calmly. "We're here to celebrate, aren't we?"  
    "Yeah, well it's pretty hard to do that if the beer's been watered down!" stated Falco quietly at first, but then raising his voice near the end. He looked at the new pint of beer in front of him. That was the tenth one so far and he wasn't even feeling the slightest bit of a buzz. "I mean, there's something really wrong if you can drink ten of these and not feel the slightest bit giddy."  
    Fox then thought about a drunk Falco Lombardi and then shuddered at the thought of it.  
"Falc', no offence, but we really don't want to see you drunk," he told the avian. "Say, Peppy, Slippy, you guys remember the last time Falco got drunk off his feathered arse?"  
    "Oh, yeah," replied Peppy with a nod of his head. "Kept me awake all night with his singing and did it take us a long time to get him back to the Great Fox or what?"  
    "Never did get the smell of puke out of the seat covers," muttered Slippy with a shake of his head.  
    Krystal laughed at the thought of Falco drunk and sinking songs drunkenly. The strange fact that the image suited him quite well. Was there anything that didn't suit Falco?  
"Well, I guess we'd better keep an eye on him," she stated. "You'd better behave too," she told Fox.  
    "Ahem, excuse me, but I think that you're quite mistaken."  
    "Oh no," sighed Fox, as he buried his head in his hands. It was Fara. He knew what happened when Fara and Krystal got together. The Lylat War had nothing on these two. The raging struggle between them made the Lylat War look like a friendly chess game. "Look, Fara, Krystal, would you two give it a rain check?" he asked the two. "The least thing we want is for you two to be fighting over..." He stopped and continued no further. There was no point. Fox heard the two of them bickering over who lay claim to Fox as a boyfriend.  
    Peppy leaned over towards Fox with a concerned look on his face, not that Fox noticed with his gaze focused on the bar table.  
"You know, Fox, I think you'd better choose between one of them before things get really out of hand," he whispered to the vulpine. He had been consulted over Fox's dilemma a numerous amount of times and it not only gave him a headache but others as well, especially when Fara and Krystal started to throw things at each other and people got caught in the crossfire.  
    Fox gritted his teeth. The big problem was that he couldn't choose between the two. In his eyes they were both beautiful and he didn't want to see one or the other hurt, but at this rate, the two would hurt each other. He had never seen anyone so persistant and these two were very persistant indeed. Even with him not deciding between the two, they still fought over him as if he was the ultimate prize, which he probably was. The fact that he loved them both, drove him mad. What was a guy supposed to do in such a situation?  
    The vulpine thought back to when he had last been in a triangle relationship. It was before he met Fara and he had a girlfriend then. What was her name again? He forgot, but it was something along the lines of Ryoko. Anyway, he hadn't the nerve to dump Ryoko for Fara. In fact, he had ended up in a relationship with no displays of affection between the two girlfriends in fear of offending the other. He had never got round to dumping Ryoko. She was a formidable woman and Fox had learnt the hardway that it didn't pay to displease her. In the end, Ryoko had dumped Fox.  
    "Look, Fara, Krystal, would you two stop it?" shouted Fox.  
    "So, who do you love then?" asked Fara.  
    "Yeah, who?" asked Krystal sternly. "Me, right?"  
    Love had always been an awkard subject to Fox and he had never been very competent at it. He was always oblivious to woman that had a crush on him and it took him so long to try and ask a girl out that they usually asked him out first. This time was no exception. Fox started babbling incomprehensibly.  
    "What?"  
    "Uh, I have to go to the little fox's room," blurted out Fox quickly and ran for it. He quickly made his way past the drunks in the bar. How they had managed to get drunk, he didn't know, but they were drunk. 'They're probably drinking anti-freeze on the side,' he thought to himself, as he made his way through into the men's room. He quickly walked over to one of the sinks and peered into the mirror just to look at himself. It had been ages since he had really looked at himself and got to know himself a little better. Fox looked into the mirror and saw himself staring back at himself with ten times more intensity that he put in. Perhaps they were distorting mirrors, but Fox severely doubted that. "Urgh, they're starting to get to me," he sighed to himself, as he turned the tap on.

    **_Encore un verre, cette fois sera la derniere_**
    **_Tchin Tchin! Campé! Kampai! Santé!_**
    **_Ma mère disait "qui a bu boira"_**
    **_Bien que avisé, je suis vissé la_**
  
Translation:     _Another glass, this time will be the last_
    _Chink, chink! Set down, Kampai health!_
    _My mother said "who has drunk will drink"_
    _Even though advised, I am screwed there._

    Fox scooped up some water and splashed it across his face. There. He needed that. Now he looked up and looked at himself in the mirror and started to smooth his fur down. As he did so, he tried his best to summon up all his courage to tell Fara and Krystal what he really thought about them. However, the courage soon swirled away as if it was water in a colander.  
    Why was it that he had enough courage to face down hordes of enemy ships, evil scientists, SharpClaws and even mutant monsters but had no courage when it came to girlfriends? It seemed rather bizarre and perverted even. Why was life like that? Fox just couldn't understand.

    **_Ce soir, je broie du noir_**
    **_Je noie au bar_**
    **_En vrac, mon BLUES dans du cognac_**
    **_Encore un verre, le der des der désalrtère_**
  
Translation:     _This night, I mope_
    _I drown at the bar_
    _My jumbled blues in cognac_
    _Another glass, the last of the last refreshes_

    Closing his eyes, Fox thought about his father and what he would say at a time like that. That was an easy one.  
"Trust your instincts," he recited carefully. "Never give up." Easier said than done. He feared what would happen if he rejected one of them. Would Fara or Krystal be like Ryoko? He had heard of rejection being painful and if any of them were like Ryoko, he would end up with all the pain and lots of bruises to prove it.  
    Still, things were better now than they used to be. Scales was behind bars. Andross was gone, as was Kano, the Gospel Army and the Lylat Syndicate. They were all gone. Even Andrew Oikonny, Leon Powalski and Pigma Dengar were dead. The Star Wolf Team was no more. Yet, now that he thought about it, he felt as if he had forgotten something or rather, someone. Someone was unaccounted for. Now who could he have forgotten? Caiman? No, that reptilian was safely behind bars too, but serving a reduced sentence thanks to his part in helping them find the Lylat Syndicate HQ.  
    Now his thoughts were focused on that someone, that missing someone. Fox couldn't quite figure out who it was that they hadn't apprehended or made sure was truly dead. There was someone whose body was never found, someone who could be out there and plotting their revenge against the Star Fox Team. Yet Fox just couldn't remember who it was.

    **_"Bien mal acquis ne profite jamais"_**
    **_"Poorly gained never profits"_**
    **_Mais ce whiskey je l'ai pa volé_**
    **_C'est ce que dit la serveuse, une allumeuse_**
    **_Qui tient la bouteille dans sa main_**
    **_Je lève mon verre à ceux qui marchent de travers_**
  
Translation:     _"Poorly gained never profits"_
    _But I have not stolen this whisky_
    _That's what the waitress said, a teaser_
    _Who holds the bottle in her hand_
    _I lift my glass at those who walk askew_

    Fox walked away from the sink and stepped back out in the bar. He looked towards his friends and saw the smiles on their faces. It seemed as if Fara and Krystal had somehow stopped fighting. They were happy, yet he had this worried feeling deep down inside him.  
"I guess we'll just have to deal with him or her when they rear their ugly heads again," he sighed to himself, before he made his way back to the others.  
    Yes, they were victorious over their enemies, but not quite. The victory would be short-lived at best, yet Fox didn't want that to dampen their spirits. Together, they'd be able to face down whatever troubles came their way. Whoever it was that Fox had forgotten about, that person wouldn't be able to defeat the Star Fox Team, not when they have each other...

    **_"Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras"_**
    **_"Qui sème le vent récole la tempête"_**
    **_Carpe Diem"_**
    **_"Un homme averti en vaut deux"_**
  
Translation:     _"One head is better than two you will have"_
    _"Who sows the wind gathers the storm"_
    _"Seize the day"_
    _"A man warned is worth two"_

    "Perhaps I'll go to Dinosaur Planet and see whether that Well in the Maze can give me any clues," thought Fox to himself. "Yeah, I'll go first thing in the morning." He decided that he'd leave by himself for Dinosaur Planet, visit Prince Tricky and then go to the Well in the Maze underneath the WarpStone. Fox remembered having a few tokens left over and he decided that he would use them in the Well. Perhaps he would be able to find out more about his future like he did the last time he visited there.

**_The End?_**

Congratulations! Your observations earned you the Neutral Ending. The lyrics featured in this Epilogue are from Yoko Kanno's, _Encore un Verre_. There is, however, one matter that is unresolved. There are two Secret Epilogues to this fanfic. To find them, translate and then answer the below question. Whichever answer you choose, follow the instructions attached to it. The following question is written in Dinosaur Language and some of it has been translated for you.
    
    NXASX EV NECV'J OOOJ SUD JOO KXO VIKIHO, KXO COVK EDO EH KXO HAWXK EDO?  
    W--C- O- --L-'S EY-- -A- -E- -H- F--U-E, --- ---- -NE -R --- -IG-T --E?

Right ..... go to **Secret Epilogue A: _Blue_**  
Left ....... go to **Secret Epilogue B: _Forever Broke_**


	18. Epilogue Ci: Pretty with a Pistol

Cowboy Star Fox 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

WARNING: This fanfic will contain swearing, graphic scenes of death and violence and the use of British-English Spelling and Grammar. If any of these things offend you or if you are underaged, please do not read any further. Upon reading any word or letter in this file, you hereby agree to forfeit all your rights to sue me and that I cannot be held liable for any psychological or physical damage caused by the contents of this fanfic. Star Fox and all related characters (including me) are copyrighted by Nintendo. Scales, Dinosaur Planet and all related characters are copyrighted by Rare. The Gospel Army, Dr. Jerome Kano, the Sekai Foundation and all related characters and places are copyrighted by me.

* * * * *

Epilogue Ci: Pretty with a Pistol  
If you prefer a Fox-Krystal relationship, then read **_Epilogue Cii: Cosmic Dare_** instead of this one. _**Epilogue Cii**_ is the next chapter on.

    Fox looked down at his drink, as he sat the bar. He sighed miserably. With the destruction of the Gospel Army and the Lylat Syndicate, the Star Fox Team was now just as obsolete as they had ever been since the defeat of the Venomian Empire. A smirk spread across his face, as he thought about how it had been Andross that was behind everything from the Lylat War, to Scales' rise to power and to the Gospel Army.  
"Andross sure was busy," he said to himself quietly.  
    Thoughts then turned to all the deceit that had led up to the events of the past, those horrific events. Could they have been prevented if the Super Vaccine Project had never been started? It looked that way. To Fox, it seemed as if all the problems were first started by the Cornerian Military. Was Andross really to blame for all that he did or did he have a helping hand in turning the Lylat System into the Hell hole that it had become?  
    Well, for now, it was back to being a bounty hunter, scouring the Lylat System for the scum of the Galaxy and handing them over to the police for rich pickings. An unstable source of income, but no more unstable than when they had been mercenaries during the Lylat War. Of course, then, they were always sure of having a job no matter what.  
    "You know, Fox, I've been thinking," said Peppy, as he sat on the opposite side of Falco, "is Andross really dead? I mean, we've killed him three times now."  
    "What are you saying, Pep?" asked Falco. "You think he can't take a hint and doesn't know that we all hate his guts?" He laughed and finished off his beer. "Peppy, Andross is gone for good this time. There's no doubt about it. He's dead as a doornail. He is an ex-Andross."  
    Slippy shook his head with a heavy sigh.  
"I just don't understand it myself," he said to the others. "Once you're dead, you're dead. The Andross you guys faced down at Dinosaur Planet and the Andross you faced down underneath the hospital couldn't have been the same Andross." He then pushed his beer away from himself. "There's no possible way that you can come back from the dead, especially if your body is blown to smithereens." Slippy thought up of an explanation and he could only come up with one. "The different Androsses you came across could only have been clones of the real thing."  
    "What, including the one we trashed at Venom?" queried Falco, as he placed his glass back down on the table. "No way!"  
    "It's possible," mused Fox.  
    "Hey, we shouldn't be thinking about something depressing like that," protested Krystal calmly. "We're here to celebrate, aren't we?"  
    "Yeah, well it's pretty hard to do that if the beer's been watered down!" stated Falco quietly at first, but then raising his voice near the end. He looked at the new pint of beer in front of him. That was the tenth one so far and he wasn't even feeling the slightest bit of a buzz. "I mean, there's something really wrong if you can drink ten of these and not feel the slightest bit giddy."  
    Fox then thought about a drunk Falco Lombardi and then shuddered at the thought of it.  
"Falc', no offence, but we really don't want to see you drunk," he told the avian. "Say, Peppy, Slippy, you guys remember the last time Falco got drunk off his feathered arse?"  
    "Oh, yeah," replied Peppy with a nod of his head. "Kept me awake all night with his singing and did it take us a long time to get him back to the Great Fox or what?"  
    "Never did get the smell of puke out of the seat covers," muttered Slippy with a shake of his head.  
    Krystal laughed at the thought of Falco drunk and sinking songs drunkenly. The strange fact that the image suited him quite well. Was there anything that didn't suit Falco?  
"Well, I guess we'd better keep an eye on him," she stated. "You'd better behave too," she told Fox.  
    "Ahem, excuse me, but I think that you're quite mistaken."  
    "Oh no," sighed Fox, as he buried his head in his hands. It was Fara. He knew what happened when Fara and Krystal got together. The Lylat War had nothing on these two. The raging struggle between them made the Lylat War look like a friendly chess game. "Look, Fara, Krystal, would you two give it a rain check?" he asked the two. "The least thing we want is for you two to be fighting over..." He stopped and continued no further. There was no point. Fox heard the two of them bickering over who lay claim to Fox as a boyfriend.  
    Peppy leaned over towards Fox with a concerned look on his face, not that Fox noticed with his gaze focused on the bar table.  
"You know, Fox, I think you'd better choose between one of them before things get really out of hand," he whispered to the vulpine. He had been consulted over Fox's dilemma a numerous amount of times and it not only gave him a headache but others as well, especially when Fara and Krystal started to throw things at each other and people got caught in the crossfire.  
    Fox gritted his teeth. The big problem was that he couldn't choose between the two. In his eyes they were both beautiful and he didn't want to see one or the other hurt, but at this rate, the two would hurt each other. He had never seen anyone so persistant and these two were very persistant indeed. Even with him not deciding between the two, they still fought over him as if he was the ultimate prize, which he probably was. The fact that he loved them both, drove him mad. What was a guy supposed to do in such a situation?  
    The vulpine thought back to when he had last been in a triangle relationship. It was before he met Fara and he had a girlfriend then. What was her name again? He forgot, but it was something along the lines of Ryoko. Anyway, he hadn't the nerve to dump Ryoko for Fara. In fact, he had ended up in a relationship with no displays of affection between the two girlfriends in fear of offending the other. He had never got round to dumping Ryoko. She was a formidable woman and Fox had learnt the hardway that it didn't pay to displease her. In the end, Ryoko had dumped Fox.  
    "Look, Fara, Krystal, would you two stop it?" shouted Fox.  
    "So, who do you love then?" asked Fara.  
    "Yeah, who?" asked Krystal sternly. "Me, right?"  
    Love had always been an awkard subject to Fox and he had never been very competent at it. He was always oblivious to woman that had a crush on him and it took him so long to try and ask a girl out that they usually asked him out first. This time was no exception. Fox started babbling incomprehensibly.  
    "What?"  
    "Uh, I have to go to the little fox's room," blurted out Fox quickly and ran for it. He quickly made his way past the drunks in the bar. How they had managed to get drunk, he didn't know, but they were drunk. 'They're probably drinking anti-freeze on the side,' he thought to himself, as he made his way through into the men's room. He quickly walked over to one of the sinks and peered into the mirror just to look at himself. It had been ages since he had really looked at himself and got to know himself a little better. Fox looked into the mirror and saw himself staring back at himself with ten times more intensity that he put in. Perhaps they were distorting mirrors, but Fox severely doubted that. "Urgh, they're starting to get to me," he sighed to himself, as he turned the tap on.  
    Fox scooped up some water and splashed it across his face. There. He needed that. Now he looked up and looked at himself in the mirror and started to smooth his fur down. As he did so, he tried his best to summon up all his courage to tell Fara and Krystal what he really thought about them. However, the courage soon swirled away as if it was water in a colander.  
    Why was it that he had enough courage to face down hordes of enemy ships, evil scientists, SharpClaws and even mutant monsters but had no courage when it came to girlfriends? It seemed rather bizarre and perverted even. Why was life like that? Fox just couldn't understand.  
    Closing his eyes, Fox thought about his father and what he would say at a time like that. That was an easy one.  
"Trust your instincts," he recited carefully. "Never give up." Easier said than done. He feared what would happen if he rejected one of them. Would Fara or Krystal be like Ryoko? He had heard of rejection being painful and if any of them were like Ryoko, he would end up with all the pain and lots of bruises to prove it.  
    Still, things were better now than they used to be. Scales was behind bars. Andross was gone, as was Kano, the Gospel Army and the Lylat Syndicate. They were all gone. Even Andrew Oikonny, Leon Powalski and Pigma Dengar were dead. The Star Wolf Team was no more. Yet, now that he thought about it, he felt as if he had forgotten something or rather, someone. Someone was unaccounted for. Now who could he have forgotten? Caiman? No, that reptilian was safely behind bars too, but serving a reduced sentence thanks to his part in helping them find the Lylat Syndicate HQ.  
    Now his thoughts were focused on that someone, that missing someone. Fox couldn't quite figure out who it was that they hadn't apprehended or made sure was truly dead. There was someone whose body was never found, someone who could be out there and plotting their revenge against the Star Fox Team. Yet Fox just couldn't remember who it was.  
    Fox walked away from the sink and stepped back out in the bar. He looked towards his friends and saw the smiles on their faces. It seemed as if Fara and Krystal had somehow stopped fighting. They were happy, yet he had this worried feeling deep down inside him.  
"I guess we'll just have to deal with him or her when they rear their ugly heads again," he sighed to himself, before he made his way back to the others.  
    Yes, they were victorious over their enemies, but not quite. The victory would be short-lived at best, yet Fox didn't want that to dampen their spirits. Together, they'd be able to face down whatever troubles came their way. Whoever it was that Fox had forgotten about, that person wouldn't be able to defeat the Star Fox Team, not when they have each other...  
    "Perhaps I'll go to Dinosaur Planet and see whether that Well in the Maze can give me any clues," thought Fox to himself. "Yeah, I'll go first thing in the morning." He decided that he'd leave by himself for Dinosaur Planet, visit Prince Tricky and then go to the Well in the Maze underneath the WarpStone. Fox remembered having a few tokens left over and he decided that he would use them in the Well. Perhaps he would be able to find out more about his future like he did the last time he visited there.

    _You and I are betting on words_
    _You and I are wandering worlds apart from each other joined at the heart_

    _You and I escaping the Earth_
    _Tasting tears for all that it's worth apart from each other joined by a thought_
    _Can you believe me?_
    _Still sitting pretty with a pistol in hand_
    _Living to love you will you be my man?_
    _If I beg, If I plead_
    _Would you please, please, please satisfy me?_

    That was when he saw her. Fara. How could he have been so foolish? Sure, he didn't want to break Krystal's heart by rejecting her, but what about Fara? It didn't make sense how they would fight over him and yet it seemed as if Krystal was the one was the only one that wouldn't be hurt.  
    It was stupid for him to leave Fara without ever telling her that he had dumped her. He had been such a fool and Fox shook his head at the stupidity of it. How could he have been blind to his girlfriend, the woman he had loved for so, so long. How long had it been? Seven years?

    _Anything goes in this cosmic dare_
    _Anything goes so take care_
    _Did you feel my heartbeat to your lies_
    _Listen close sweet love of mine_

    Yes, Fox loved Krystal, but it was Fara that he loved the most. How could he have been so blind as to ignore it? He'd been treating her the wrong way for far too long, as a friend and not a lover. Well, he would put an end to that.  
    Fox saw her turn to face him and he smiled at her. She smiled back. In that very instant, nothing else seemed to matter. All time ceased to be. The Universe ceased to be. It was just him and her. Fox and Fara. It was just Fara and Fox. There was no doubt about it. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and with no other.

    _You and I are travelling time_
    _You and I a moon rockets climb_
    _In tune with forever, never say never we're told_

    _You and I are floating in space_
    _You and I are waiting to make the most of a moment alive in this silence so great_

    From the first moment they had met underneath the spreading boughs of the cherry tree, as it shed the pink petals of its cherry blossoms, he had known that she was the one. Fara was that special woman, the one he would do anything for. He would travel to the ends of the Universe for her and fight for her and die for her. There was nothing he wouldn't do for her.  
    "Fara, I love you," he told her.  
    "I love you too, Fox," said Fara in reply, as she looked deep into his emerald green eyes.

    _Can you believe me?_
    _Still sitting pretty with a pistol in hand_
    _Living to love you will you be my man?_
    _If I beg, If I plead_
    _Would you please, please, please satisfy me?_

    _Anything goes in this cosmic dare_
    _Anything goes so take care_
    _Did you feel my heartbeat to your sighs_
    _Mon amour sweet love of mine_

    Yes, he would go to Dinosaur Planet and use the Well in the Maze to determine his future. But first, he would treat Fara to the night out that she deserved. A dinner, a movie and then back to their place. Sure, it didn't seem romantic once put like that, but he would make it romantic. He would ensure that she wouldn't be disappointed.  
    After all, he loved her and he would go to the ends of the Universe for her. That is, after all, why he had fought so hard during the Lylat War, was it not? It was all to end it soon, so that she could enjoy the peace that would last soon after the end of Andross' downfall.

    _Anything goes in this cosmic dare_
    _Anything goes so take care_
    _Did you feel my heartbeat to your sighs_
    _Mon amour sweet love of mine_

    "I'm such a fool for making you wait so long for this," began Fox, as he held her tightly in his embrace, "and I don't have a ring just yet but... Will you marry me?"  
    Fara smiled at Fox. She had been dying to hear those words for so long and now it would finally come to fruition. The Fennec fox could think up of no better fate than to spend the rest of her life with the fox she loved.  
"Yes, Fox," she replied. "I will!"

**_The End._**

Congratulations! Your observations earned you the Fara Ending. The lyrics featured in this Epilogue are from Yoko Kanno's, _Cosmic Dare (Pretty with a Pistol)_. There is, however, one matter that is unresolved. There are two Secret Epilogues to this fanfic. To find them, translate and then answer the below question. Whichever answer you choose, follow the instructions attached to it. The following question is written in Dinosaur Language and some of it has been translated for you.
    
    NXASX EV NECV'J OOOJ SUD JOO KXO VIKIHO, KXO COVK EDO EH KXO HAWXK EDO?  
    W--C- O- --L-'S EY-- -A- -E- -H- F--U-E, --- ---- -NE -R --- -IG-T --E?

Right ..... go to **Secret Epilogue A: _Blue_**  
Left ....... go to **Secret Epilogue B: _Forever Broke_**  
Dunno ... go to **Epilogue A: _Real Indication_**


	19. Epilogue Cii: Cosmic Dare

Cowboy Star Fox 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

WARNING: This fanfic will contain swearing, graphic scenes of death and violence and the use of British-English Spelling and Grammar. If any of these things offend you or if you are underaged, please do not read any further. Upon reading any word or letter in this file, you hereby agree to forfeit all your rights to sue me and that I cannot be held liable for any psychological or physical damage caused by the contents of this fanfic. Star Fox and all related characters (including me) are copyrighted by Nintendo. Scales, Dinosaur Planet and all related characters are copyrighted by Rare. The Gospel Army, Dr. Jerome Kano, the Sekai Foundation and all related characters and places are copyrighted by me.

* * * * *

Epilogue Cii: Cosmic Dare  
    Fox looked down at his drink, as he sat the bar. He sighed miserably. With the destruction of the Gospel Army and the Lylat Syndicate, the Star Fox Team was now just as obsolete as they had ever been since the defeat of the Venomian Empire. A smirk spread across his face, as he thought about how it had been Andross that was behind everything from the Lylat War, to Scales' rise to power and to the Gospel Army.  
"Andross sure was busy," he said to himself quietly.  
    Thoughts then turned to all the deceit that had led up to the events of the past, those horrific events. Could they have been prevented if the Super Vaccine Project had never been started? It looked that way. To Fox, it seemed as if all the problems were first started by the Cornerian Military. Was Andross really to blame for all that he did or did he have a helping hand in turning the Lylat System into the Hell hole that it had become?  
    Well, for now, it was back to being a bounty hunter, scouring the Lylat System for the scum of the Galaxy and handing them over to the police for rich pickings. An unstable source of income, but no more unstable than when they had been mercenaries during the Lylat War. Of course, then, they were always sure of having a job no matter what.  
    "You know, Fox, I've been thinking," said Peppy, as he sat on the opposite side of Falco, "is Andross really dead? I mean, we've killed him three times now."  
    "What are you saying, Pep?" asked Falco. "You think he can't take a hint and doesn't know that we all hate his guts?" He laughed and finished off his beer. "Peppy, Andross is gone for good this time. There's no doubt about it. He's dead as a doornail. He is an ex-Andross."  
    Slippy shook his head with a heavy sigh.  
"I just don't understand it myself," he said to the others. "Once you're dead, you're dead. The Andross you guys faced down at Dinosaur Planet and the Andross you faced down underneath the hospital couldn't have been the same Andross." He then pushed his beer away from himself. "There's no possible way that you can come back from the dead, especially if your body is blown to smithereens." Slippy thought up of an explanation and he could only come up with one. "The different Androsses you came across could only have been clones of the real thing."  
    "What, including the one we trashed at Venom?" queried Falco, as he placed his glass back down on the table. "No way!"  
    "It's possible," mused Fox.  
    "Hey, we shouldn't be thinking about something depressing like that," protested Krystal calmly. "We're here to celebrate, aren't we?"  
    "Yeah, well it's pretty hard to do that if the beer's been watered down!" stated Falco quietly at first, but then raising his voice near the end. He looked at the new pint of beer in front of him. That was the tenth one so far and he wasn't even feeling the slightest bit of a buzz. "I mean, there's something really wrong if you can drink ten of these and not feel the slightest bit giddy."  
    Fox then thought about a drunk Falco Lombardi and then shuddered at the thought of it.  
"Falc', no offence, but we really don't want to see you drunk," he told the avian. "Say, Peppy, Slippy, you guys remember the last time Falco got drunk off his feathered arse?"  
    "Oh, yeah," replied Peppy with a nod of his head. "Kept me awake all night with his singing and did it take us a long time to get him back to the Great Fox or what?"  
    "Never did get the smell of puke out of the seat covers," muttered Slippy with a shake of his head.  
    Krystal laughed at the thought of Falco drunk and sinking songs drunkenly. The strange fact that the image suited him quite well. Was there anything that didn't suit Falco?  
"Well, I guess we'd better keep an eye on him," she stated. "You'd better behave too," she told Fox.  
    "Ahem, excuse me, but I think that you're quite mistaken."  
    "Oh no," sighed Fox, as he buried his head in his hands. It was Fara. He knew what happened when Fara and Krystal got together. The Lylat War had nothing on these two. The raging struggle between them made the Lylat War look like a friendly chess game. "Look, Fara, Krystal, would you two give it a rain check?" he asked the two. "The least thing we want is for you two to be fighting over..." He stopped and continued no further. There was no point. Fox heard the two of them bickering over who lay claim to Fox as a boyfriend.  
    Peppy leaned over towards Fox with a concerned look on his face, not that Fox noticed with his gaze focused on the bar table.  
"You know, Fox, I think you'd better choose between one of them before things get really out of hand," he whispered to the vulpine. He had been consulted over Fox's dilemma a numerous amount of times and it not only gave him a headache but others as well, especially when Fara and Krystal started to throw things at each other and people got caught in the crossfire.  
    Fox gritted his teeth. The big problem was that he couldn't choose between the two. In his eyes they were both beautiful and he didn't want to see one or the other hurt, but at this rate, the two would hurt each other. He had never seen anyone so persistant and these two were very persistant indeed. Even with him not deciding between the two, they still fought over him as if he was the ultimate prize, which he probably was. The fact that he loved them both, drove him mad. What was a guy supposed to do in such a situation?  
    The vulpine thought back to when he had last been in a triangle relationship. It was before he met Fara and he had a girlfriend then. What was her name again? He forgot, but it was something along the lines of Ryoko. Anyway, he hadn't the nerve to dump Ryoko for Fara. In fact, he had ended up in a relationship with no displays of affection between the two girlfriends in fear of offending the other. He had never got round to dumping Ryoko. She was a formidable woman and Fox had learnt the hardway that it didn't pay to displease her. In the end, Ryoko had dumped Fox.  
    "Look, Fara, Krystal, would you two stop it?" shouted Fox.  
    "So, who do you love then?" asked Fara.  
    "Yeah, who?" asked Krystal sternly. "Me, right?"  
    Love had always been an awkard subject to Fox and he had never been very competent at it. He was always oblivious to woman that had a crush on him and it took him so long to try and ask a girl out that they usually asked him out first. This time was no exception. Fox started babbling incomprehensibly.  
    "What?"  
    "Uh, I have to go to the little fox's room," blurted out Fox quickly and ran for it. He quickly made his way past the drunks in the bar. How they had managed to get drunk, he didn't know, but they were drunk. 'They're probably drinking anti-freeze on the side,' he thought to himself, as he made his way through into the men's room. He quickly walked over to one of the sinks and peered into the mirror just to look at himself. It had been ages since he had really looked at himself and got to know himself a little better. Fox looked into the mirror and saw himself staring back at himself with ten times more intensity that he put in. Perhaps they were distorting mirrors, but Fox severely doubted that. "Urgh, they're starting to get to me," he sighed to himself, as he turned the tap on.  
    Fox scooped up some water and splashed it across his face. There. He needed that. Now he looked up and looked at himself in the mirror and started to smooth his fur down. As he did so, he tried his best to summon up all his courage to tell Fara and Krystal what he really thought about them. However, the courage soon swirled away as if it was water in a colander.  
    Why was it that he had enough courage to face down hordes of enemy ships, evil scientists, SharpClaws and even mutant monsters but had no courage when it came to girlfriends? It seemed rather bizarre and perverted even. Why was life like that? Fox just couldn't understand.  
    Closing his eyes, Fox thought about his father and what he would say at a time like that. That was an easy one.  
"Trust your instincts," he recited carefully. "Never give up." Easier said than done. He feared what would happen if he rejected one of them. Would Fara or Krystal be like Ryoko? He had heard of rejection being painful and if any of them were like Ryoko, he would end up with all the pain and lots of bruises to prove it.  
    Still, things were better now than they used to be. Scales was behind bars. Andross was gone, as was Kano, the Gospel Army and the Lylat Syndicate. They were all gone. Even Andrew Oikonny, Leon Powalski and Pigma Dengar were dead. The Star Wolf Team was no more. Yet, now that he thought about it, he felt as if he had forgotten something or rather, someone. Someone was unaccounted for. Now who could he have forgotten? Caiman? No, that reptilian was safely behind bars too, but serving a reduced sentence thanks to his part in helping them find the Lylat Syndicate HQ.  
    Now his thoughts were focused on that someone, that missing someone. Fox couldn't quite figure out who it was that they hadn't apprehended or made sure was truly dead. There was someone whose body was never found, someone who could be out there and plotting their revenge against the Star Fox Team. Yet Fox just couldn't remember who it was.  
    Fox walked away from the sink and stepped back out in the bar. He looked towards his friends and saw the smiles on their faces. It seemed as if Fara and Krystal had somehow stopped fighting. They were happy, yet he had this worried feeling deep down inside him.  
"I guess we'll just have to deal with him or her when they rear their ugly heads again," he sighed to himself, before he made his way back to the others.  
    Yes, they were victorious over their enemies, but not quite. The victory would be short-lived at best, yet Fox didn't want that to dampen their spirits. Together, they'd be able to face down whatever troubles came their way. Whoever it was that Fox had forgotten about, that person wouldn't be able to defeat the Star Fox Team, not when they have each other...  
    "Perhaps I'll go to Dinosaur Planet and see whether that Well in the Maze can give me any clues," thought Fox to himself. "Yeah, I'll go first thing in the morning." He decided that he'd leave by himself for Dinosaur Planet, visit Prince Tricky and then go to the Well in the Maze underneath the WarpStone. Fox remembered having a few tokens left over and he decided that he would use them in the Well. Perhaps he would be able to find out more about his future like he did the last time he visited there.

    _You and I are betting on words_
    _You and I are wandering worlds apart from each other joined at the heart_

    That was when he saw her. Krystal. How could he have been so foolish? Sure, he didn't want to break Fara's heart by rejecting her, but what about Krystal? It didn't make sense how they would fight over him and yet it seemed as if Fara was the one was the only one that wouldn't be hurt.

    _You and I escaping the Earth_
    _Tasting tears for all that it's worth apart from each other joined by a thought_
    _Can you believe me?_
    _Still sitting pretty with a pistol in hand_
    _Living to love you will you be my man?_
    _If I beg, If I plead_
    _Would you please, please, please satisfy me?_

    Krystal, how many bad things had happened to her? The loss of her family? The loss of her people and their planet? She had lost so much to one man, Andross. Krystal was just like Fox in a way and when the vulpine thought about it, he knew that it was true. Both of them had lost their parents. Both of them were all alone in the world. Fox and Krystal, Krystal and Fox, the two of them were like one.  
    Yes, Fox loved Fara, but it was Krystal that he loved the most. How could he have been so blind as to ignore it? He'd been treating her the wrong way for far too long, as a friend and not a lover. Well, he would put an end to that.

    _Anything goes in this cosmic dare_
    _Anything goes so take care_
    _Did you feel my heartbeat to your lies_
    _Listen close sweet love of mine_

    Fox saw her turn to face him and he smiled at her. She smiled back. In that very instant, nothing else seemed to matter. All time ceased to be. The Universe ceased to be. It was just him and her. Fox and Krystal. It was just Krystal and Fox. There was no doubt about it. The love he felt for her had been apparent from the very beginning. It was just the fear that had held him back, but now that he had faced down several living nightmares, his old fears didn't seem so strong and potent anymore.  
    "Krystal, I love you," he told her.

    _You and I are travelling time_
    _You and I a moon rockets climb_
    _In tune with forever, never say never we're told_

    _You and I are floating in space_
    _You and I are waiting to make the most of a moment alive in this silence so great_

    "I love you too, Fox," said Krystal in reply, as she looked deep into his emerald green eyes.  
    "Krystal, I've been a fool for all this time to make you have to fight for my love," said Fox quietly. "Will you forgive me?"  
    Krystal laughed.  
"Of course I will!" she replied.

    _Can you believe me?_
    _Still sitting pretty with a pistol in hand_
    _Living to love you will you be my man?_
    _If I beg, If I plead_
    _Would you please, please, please satisfy me?_

    _Anything goes in this cosmic dare_
    _Anything goes so take care_
    _Did you feel my heartbeat to your sighs_
    _Mon amour sweet love of mine_

    Yes, he would go to Dinosaur Planet and use the Well in the Maze to determine his future. But first, he would treat Krystal to the night out that she deserved. A dinner, a movie and then back to their place. Sure, it didn't seem romantic once put like that, but he would make it romantic. He would ensure that she wouldn't be disappointed.  
    After all, he loved her and he would go to the ends of the Universe for her. That is, after all, why he had saved her from Krazoa Palace in the first place, wasn't it? Fox loved Krystal and she loved him back, and that was all that mattered.

    _Anything goes in this cosmic dare_
    _Anything goes so take care_
    _Did you feel my heartbeat to your sighs_
    _Mon amour sweet love of mine_

**_The End._**

Congratulations! Your observations earned you the Krystal Ending. The lyrics featured in this Epilogue are from Yoko Kanno's, _Cosmic Dare (Pretty with a Pistol)_. There is, however, one matter that is unresolved. There are two Secret Epilogues to this fanfic. To find them, translate and then answer the below question. Whichever answer you choose, follow the instructions attached to it. The following question is written in Dinosaur Language and some of it has been translated for you.
    
    NXASX EV NECV'J OOOJ SUD JOO KXO VIKIHO, KXO COVK EDO EH KXO HAWXK EDO?  
    W--C- O- --L-'S EY-- -A- -E- -H- F--U-E, --- ---- -NE -R --- -IG-T --E?

Right ..... go to **Secret Epilogue A: _Blue_**  
Left ....... go to **Secret Epilogue B: _Forever Broke_**


	20. Secret Epilogue A: Blue

Cowboy Star Fox 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

WARNING: This fanfic will contain swearing, graphic scenes of death and violence and the use of British-English Spelling and Grammar. If any of these things offend you or if you are underaged, please do not read any further. Upon reading any word or letter in this file, you hereby agree to forfeit all your rights to sue me and that I cannot be held liable for any psychological or physical damage caused by the contents of this fanfic. Star Fox and all related characters (including me) are copyrighted by Nintendo. Scales, Dinosaur Planet and all related characters are copyrighted by Rare. The Gospel Army, Dr. Jerome Kano, the Sekai Foundation and all related characters and places are copyrighted by me.

* * * * *

Secret Epilogue A: Blue  
This Epilogue continues on from **_Epilogue B: Encore un Verre._** and not from the special Fara or Krystal endings. Hence, none of the relationships depicted in Epilogues Ci or Cii will be present in this chapter.

    Fox stopped in his tracks, letting the wind buffet against his coat, and looked around him.  
    It was when he was celebrating with his friends in a Cornerian bar that he had realised that of all their enemies, one was unaccounted for. That was why he had come to Dinosaur Planet all alone. He had decided to go alone to Dinosaur Planet and use the Well underneath the WarpStone to receive a clue about his future. It had been, after all, fairly accurate about predicting Andross' rebirth.  
    Still, the clue was quite vague, but he had figuered it out. It had told him to go to Krazoa Palace and he was now there.  
    The Krazoa Palace had changed little since Fox had last been here. The place with its stone walls and stone statues still stood, high up on Dinosaur Planet. The only difference was the statue of the Krazoa God, which was missing its head. Fox knew why that was gone.  
    As he made his way up the ramp and on to the circular dais, Fox thought about his friends. He thought about Prince Tricky and all the other Dinosaurs he had visited before coming up to the Krazoa Palace. They were well, much better than when Scales had appeared on the planet. Krystal was well when he left the Great Fox, as were all his other friends. So why was he so solemn, as if someone had just died?  
    There was a growl and Fox turned round. He recognised that growl. There was no one around him. It was only him and the wind. Fox sniffed the air with his keen vulpine nose. Something wasn't right.  
    "I've been waiting for this for quite some time now, McCloud."  
    Fox turned round and saw someone standing on the other end of the circular dais. The vulpine recognised the black Neo-Napoleonic-style military uniform with red cuffs and a red collar decorated with gold thread. He recognised the white cape that was draped over the left shoulder and threaded through the left tassel-decorated epaulette of the black military tunic. Fox recognised the white gloves, the black boots and the white cravat. A black eye-patch covered the left eye.  
    So, he was still alive.  
    "I see you ditched the false eye," stated Fox, as he looked down and saw Wolf had his right hand on the hilt of his sabre.  
    A smile split Wolf's muzzle, as he stared across at Fox.  
"You're going to pay for what you did, McCloud," growled O'Donnell angrily. "Years of work, creating the organisations that would revive Andross and you ruined everything!" He unsheathed his sabre from its scabbard within the darkness of the night. "The Aristocrat Race would have ruled the Lylat System and erased all base emotions. It would have been an utopia that all races would have envied."  
    "The price was too high, Wolf," said Fox with a shake of his head. "It's over now, Wolf. Now, you can either leave the Lylat System or you can stay and be tried for your crimes against the Lylat System. It's your choice, Wolf."  
    Wolf laughed at Fox's comment. It was all he could do from cracking completely.  
"Only I can kill you, McCloud," he told the vulpine. "Only one of us will leave here alive. Care to guess which one?" He waited and watched as Fox pulled out a gun from his trenchcoat. A smile spread across Wolf's face.  
    Neither of them moved. Both stayed completely still like the statues all over the Krazoa Palace. The only movement was that of the wind, blowing at their fur and at their tails. The movement of cloth, the movement of fur was all there was. Only the sound of the wind could be heard, such was the stillness.  
    Wolf was the first to move. He had leapt straight at Fox, leaping over the hole in the dais as if it was a mere puddle. The force with which he hit Fox, knocked the vulpine off the dais. Wolf leapt down after Fox and swung his sabre straight at the vulpine's head, only to miss as Fox rolled out of the way. He saw Fox aim his gun out of the corner of his eye. The lupine swung his sabre in an arc and blocked the laser with the blade of his weapon.  
    Wordlessly, Wolf charged straight at Fox. He swung his sabre in an arc at Fox hitting the barrel of the vulpine's gun and knocking it sideways. A furry fist suddenly flew at his face, but Wolf wasn't quick enough to dodge it. The punch sent him staggering back, as Fox re-aimed his gun.  
    Fox pulled the trigger and missed. He aimed again and fired, only to feel the cold, sharp bite of steel as Wolf's sabre sliced through his arm. The laser he fired caught Wolf on the side of his arm, only nicking it in comparison to what Wolf had done. The vulpine whirled away from Wolf and narrowly missed being cut in half. He fired again and fired several more times at Wolf, only for the lupine to block each laser with that blasted sabre of his. That was it. He stopped firing and allowed for Wolf to charge straight at him. Wolf swung. Fox leapt over the sabre blade and kicked at Wolf's head.  
    That trick had been pulled off too many times and Wolf had already seen through it. He ducked underneath it and swung his sabre at Fox. This time, he managed to catch Fox in the side the blade of his weapon, extracting a yelp of pain from the fox.  
    A wince spread across Fox's face, as he turned and fired, his laser skimming past Wolf's arm. He fired again, only for the laser beam to be deflected by the blade of Wolf's sabre. Fox saw his opponent charge straight at him. He ducked underneath the sabre and charged straight at Wolf, grabbing the lupine and pushing Wolf against the vertical side of the dais with such force that it knocked the air out of the lupine.  
    With an angry snarl, Wolf punched Fox straight on the muzzle and kicked the vulpine away from himself. He saw Fox aim the laser gun at him again. Well, not this time. Wolf quickly ran out of the way, leaping over one of the ramps that led up on to the circular dais and landing on the other side of it.  
    Fox quickly ran after him, leaping on to the ramp and nearly had the opportunity of having his legs cut off. Had he been a split second slower, Wolf's sabre would have cut straight through his legs. As it was, he had leapt over the blade and behind Wolf. He aimed his gun at Wolf's head and pulled the trigger, only to fire a laser into thin air as Wolf ducked out of the way and landed a punch to his stomach.  
    The vulpine staggered backwards, reeling from the pain. He saw Wolf charge straight at him. Fox was a split second too slow and the blade cut through his fur and into his flesh again. Though the blade itself was ice cold, the pain made it seem searingly hot to him. Another swipe at his body and the blade cut into him again, this time slashing his left arm.  
    The pain was just as disorientating as it had been for the first agonising taste of steel. He should have been used to it, though, seeing how many times he had been wounded in the Lylat War and during his time catching criminals after the mission on Dinosaur Planet. This time, the pain should only have been a numb prick, but it was agonising as if Wolf had somehow cut through into his soul.  
    Lifting his gun, Fox aimed. He did his best to ignore the pain. His vision blurred just as he pulled the trigger. He had missed and now Wolf had charged straight at him. Fox tried his best to aim again, but this time Wolf had smashed the blade of his sabre straight against the barrel of his gun, turning the gun away from Wolf just as Fox pulled the trigger. The laser went skyward. Fox pulled the trigger again, hoping that the vibration of the gun when it fired would help loosen Wolf's grip on the sabre.  
    "Die, McCloud," growled Wolf angrily.  
    "Go to Hell," retorted Fox, as he struggled to keep a hold on his gun.  
    Wolf pushed the blade of his sabre against the barrel of the gun, turning the gun out of sight. He kept the momentum of the blade going, turning the blade round until it was above his head and he brought it slicing down towards Fox. His vulpine opponent rolled out of the way. In mid-air, he turned the blade of the sabre and swung it horizontally at Fox, only to miss.  
    With a smug smile, Wolf delved into his pockets and brought out some shuriken he had taken from a SharpClaw he had met on the way up to the Krazoa Palace. He flung them at Fox with amazing accuracy for a person with only one eye. Fox ran out of the way, avoiding all of them. Wolf howled out angrily and flung the last of his shuriken straight at where he thought Fox would end up.  
    Fox yelped out in pain as the throwing star hit him in the leg. The pain made him lose his balance and he crashed to the cold, stone floor. He looked down and saw it sticking out of his leg, blood spreading through the fabric of his trousers. Quickly, he reached out and yanked the weapon out of his leg and winced in pain. Fox flung the shuriken back at Wolf, striking the lupine in the arm.  
    The yelp of pain told him that he had hit Wolf. Fox aimed his gun and fired, only for Wolf to deflect the lasers.  
"Shit!" swore Fox, as he leapt to his feet, despite the pain in his legs. He charged straight at Wolf and slid across the stone floor, sweeping his leg out in an attempt to knock the legs out from underneath the lupine.  
    That trick was far too old and Wolf saw through it. He leapt over Fox and kicked at the vulpine's head, before landing on the ground again. Wolf whirled round, flinging his cape behind him. He held his sabre in both hands and stabbed it into the ground. He was aiming for Fox. He had missed.  
    Fox rolled back to his feet and aimed his gun. He pulled the trigger before Wolf could even react, shooting a laser straight at Wolf. It hit the lupine in the ear, elicitating a yelp from his grey-furred opponent.  
    Wolf charged straight at Fox, deflecting the few lasers that were fired at him. The rest missed him by a wide mark, a result of Fox's blood loss. The smile on Wolf's muzzle widened. He knew it would only be a matter of time before he won against his lifetime opponent. He swung his sabre at Fox's head, only for the vulpine to duck underneath it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Fox aim his gun. Wolf leapt sideways, narrowly avoiding being shot in the chest.  
    Upon landing back on the ground, Wolf swung his sabre at Fox, just as the vulpine aimed his gun towards him. Their two weapons clashed together. With all his strength, Wolf swung his sabre round, pushing the gun along with it. Their arms did full circle before both their weapons were flung out of their hands.  
    The gun landed at Wolf's feet. The sabre landed at Fox's feet.  
    Neither moved to pick up their weapons. There was no flurry of movement. There was just pure stillness and silence, but in that they knew what each other was thinking. It was as if they could talk without words and each knew what the other was saying. Both fox and wolf stared at each other, motionlessly but full of emotion. They knew that one of them would die at the other's hands.  
    Like mirror images, the two of them slowly bent down to reach for the weapon at their feet. They slid their weapons across to each other with equal force and grabbed their weapons at the same time.  
    Fox raised his gun quickly and fired, sending blood splattering on to the stone floor. He watched as Wolf staggered and then crashed to the floor. The vulpine waited. Wolf didn't get back up again.  
"It's over," he muttered weakly under his breath, as he wiped the blood off his cheek. He turned round slowly, wavering like a drunk. The vulpine nearly toppled over.

    _Never seen a blue sky_
    _Yeah I can feel it reaching out_
    _And moving closer_
    _There's something about blue_
    _Asked myself what it's all for_
    _You know the funny thing about it?_
    _I couldn't answer_
    _No, I couldn't answer_

    And Fox saw his friends standing not too far away. There was Falco, Slippy and Peppy. Bill and Katt were there too along with Fara. Krystal was there too. Yet they all seemed to blur, as his vision failed him.  
    Thoughts turned to how he would miss his friends. He would miss Falco's cockiness, the way the avian always thought he was in the right, how the avian always wanted to be the Leader of the Star Fox Team. Memories turned to Slippy and how the amphibian, though not skilled in flying had always proved to be the best mechanic they ever had. It seemed to Fox that his entire life was flashing before his very eyes. He could remember his first kiss underneath a cherry tree, how it had just been a peck on the cheek from Fara.

    _Things have turned a deeper shade of blue_
    _And images that might be real_
    _May be illusion_
    _Keep flashing off and on_

    Fox remembered Bill and Peppy. He rememembered General Pepper and how they had all worked so well together during the Lylat War and how even through the bad times, they had come through for each other. He was going to miss all that. He was going to miss Peppy's old ramblings and Bill's love of fun.  
    The sun was rising, yet he failed to notice. All Fox could feel and see was the cold and the darkness, as he staggered towards the blurs that he thought to be his friends. It was so cold, yet Fox refused to shiver. The vulpine refused to give in so easily, yet he wondered, why did he refuse? He smiled at the blurs weakly, before all his strength left him. Fox stumbled and fell.  
    "Fox!" cried Krystal, as she ran along the stone floor towards the vulpine. She skidded to a halt and knelt down beside him. She brushed his fur back and turned his head. "Fox," she called out to him, but he wouldn't respond. All he did was stare at her. All he could do was stare lifelessly at her.

    _Free_
    _Wanna be free_
    _Gonna be free_
    _And move among the stars_
    _You know they really aren't so far_
    _Feels so free_
    _Gotta know free_
    _Please_
    _Don't wake me from the dream_
    _It's really everything it seemed_
    _I'm so free_
    _No black and white in the blue_

    And the sun began to rise upwards in the golden sky, slowly turning blue. The life on Dinosaur Planet stirred and the planet kept on turning, waiting for no one creature. The Planet was just awakening underneath the bluest of blue skies, where not even the clouds could keep the creatures from seeing that it was blue.

    _Everything is clearer now_
    _Life is just a dream you know_
    _That's never ending_
    _I'm ascending_

**_The End._**

You've answered the question incorrectly! It was Wolf's left eye that could see into the future, because Wolf's left eye was cybernetic and thus was far superior to the other eye, being able to see things much quicker than his right. Now that you know the answer, you may read the other Secret Epilogue.  
P.S. The lyrics used in this chapter are from Yoko Kanno's, _Blue_.


	21. Secret Epilogue B: Forever Broke

Cowboy Star Fox 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

WARNING: This fanfic will contain swearing, graphic scenes of death and violence and the use of British-English Spelling and Grammar. If any of these things offend you or if you are underaged, please do not read any further. Upon reading any word or letter in this file, you hereby agree to forfeit all your rights to sue me and that I cannot be held liable for any psychological or physical damage caused by the contents of this fanfic. Star Fox and all related characters (including me) are copyrighted by Nintendo. Scales, Dinosaur Planet and all related characters are copyrighted by Rare. The Gospel Army, Dr. Jerome Kano, the Sekai Foundation and all related characters and places are copyrighted by me.

* * * * *

Secret Epilogue B: Forever Broke  
This Epilogue continues on from **_Epilogue B: Encore un Verre._** and not from the special Fara or Krystal endings. Hence, none of the relationships depicted in Epilogues Ci or Cii will be present in this chapter.

    Fox stopped in his tracks, letting the wind buffet against his coat, and looked around him.  
    It was when he was celebrating with his friends in a Cornerian bar that he had realised that of all their enemies, one was unaccounted for. That was why he had come to Dinosaur Planet all alone. He had decided to go alone to Dinosaur Planet and use the Well underneath the WarpStone to receive a clue about his future. It had been, after all, fairly accurate about predicting Andross' rebirth.  
    Still, the clue was quite vague, but he had figuered it out. It had told him to go to Krazoa Palace and he was now there.  
    The Krazoa Palace had changed little since Fox had last been here. The place with its stone walls and stone statues still stood, high up on Dinosaur Planet. The only difference was the statue of the Krazoa God, which was missing its head. Fox knew why that was gone.  
    As he made his way up the ramp and on to the circular dais, Fox thought about his friends. He thought about Prince Tricky and all the other Dinosaurs he had visited before coming up to the Krazoa Palace. They were well, much better than when Scales had appeared on the planet. Krystal was well when he left the Great Fox, as were all his other friends. So why was he so solemn, as if someone had just died?  
    There was a growl and Fox turned round. He recognised that growl. There was no one around him. It was only him and the wind. Fox sniffed the air with his keen vulpine nose. Something wasn't right.  
    "I've been waiting for this for quite some time now, McCloud."  
    Standing on the other end of the circular dais was a grey-furred vulpine with an eye-patch over his left eye. The wolf wore black, Kevlar armour and dark blue trousers with black boots. His left arm was clearly robotic and he wore on his left side, a scabbard with a sabre sheathed in it. Draped around his shoulders was a brown cloak that looked like a trenchcoat without sleeves, which was done up by a golden thread and two clasps near the collar.  
    So, he was still alive.  
    "I see you ditched the false eye," stated Fox, as he looked down and saw Wolf had his right hand on the hilt of his sabre.  
    A smile split Wolf's muzzle, as he stared across at Fox.  
"Among other things," chuckled O'Donnell, but it was not a sincere laugh. "It'll be quite some time before they clone me a new arm and a new eye, but I'll make do with this for now." He raised his left fist, clenching its metallic fingers. "You're going to pay for what you did, McCloud," growled O'Donnell angrily. "Years of work, creating the organisations that would revive Andross and you ruined everything! The Aristocrat Race would have ruled the Lylat System and erased all base emotions. It would have been an utopia that all races would have envied."  
    "The price was too high, Wolf," said Fox with a shake of his head. "It's over now, Wolf. Now, you can either leave the Lylat System or you can stay and be tried for your crimes against the Lylat System. It's your choice, Wolf."  
    Wolf laughed at Fox's comment. It was all he could do from cracking completely.  
"Only I can kill you, McCloud," he told the vulpine, as he unsheathed his sabre from its scabbard. "Only one of us will leave here alive. Care to guess which one?" He waited and watched as Fox pulled out a gun from his trenchcoat. A smile spread across Wolf's face.  
    Neither of them moved. Both stayed completely still like the statues all over the Krazoa Palace. The only movement was that of the wind, blowing at their fur and at their tails. The movement of cloth, the movement of fur was all there was. Only the sound of the wind could be heard, such was the stillness.  
    Wolf was the first to move. He had leapt straight at Fox, leaping over the hole in the dais as if it was a mere puddle. The force with which he hit Fox, knocked the vulpine off the dais. Wolf leapt down after Fox and swung his sabre straight at the vulpine's head, only to miss as Fox rolled out of the way. He saw Fox aim his gun out of the corner of his eye. The lupine swung his sabre in an arc and blocked the laser with the blade of his weapon.  
    Wordlessly, Wolf charged straight at Fox. He swung his sabre in an arc at Fox hitting the barrel of the vulpine's gun and knocking it sideways. Wolf then thrust his robotic arm at Fox and grabbed the vulpine by the throat. A smile spread across Wolf's muzzle, as he lifted Fox off the floor. He spun round, swinging Fox through the air before Wolf slammed the vulpine down into the ground.  
    The force of the impact knocked the air out of Fox's lungs. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Wolf lift up his sabre as if ready to spear him through with it. Fox knew he had to do something to avoid becoming a kebab, but what could he do? He held his gun firmly and smacked Wolf on the head with it and then again, before he tried his best to take aim. Fox pulled the trigger.  
    There was a yelp of pain and Wolf flung Fox across the roof as if the fox was nothing more than a paper aeroplane.  
    Slowly, Fox staggered back up to his feet again. It was disorientating to be thrown through the air like that. His ears picked up the sound of running footsteps. Fox whirled out of the way, just as Wolf swung the sabre vertically down at him. The blade cut past his shoulder, making Fox wince in pain but that didn't stop him from aiming his gun at Wolf and pulling the trigger. He missed. He aimed again and fired, only to feel the cold, sharp bite of steel as Wolf's sabre sliced through his arm. The laser he fired caught Wolf on the side of his arm, only nicking it in comparison to what Wolf had done.  
    The vulpine whirled away from Wolf and narrowly missed being cut in half. He fired again and fired several more times at Wolf, only for the lupine to block each laser with that blasted sabre of his. That was it. He stopped firing and allowed for Wolf to charge straight at him. Wolf swung. Fox leapt over the sabre blade and kicked at Wolf's head.  
    That trick had been pulled off too many times and Wolf had already seen through it. He ducked underneath it and swung his sabre at Fox. This time, he managed to catch Fox in the side the blade of his weapon, extracting a yelp of pain from the fox.  
    A wince spread across Fox's face, as he turned and fired, his laser skimming past Wolf's arm. He fired again, only for the laser beam to be deflected by the blade of Wolf's sabre. Fox saw his opponent charge straight at him. He ducked underneath the sabre and was suddenly hit in the face by a metallic fist that sent him reeling backwards.  
    With an angry snarl, Wolf charged straight at Fox and leapt into the air, before flinging a fist straight at the vulpine. Fox narrowly got out of the way and Wolf's robotic fist smashed into the stone floor with such force that Wolf punched a hole straight through it.  
    Fox thanked his lucky stars that he had managed to get out of the way. He aimed his gun at Wolf's head, as the lupine attempted to tug his robotic fist out.  
"It's over now, Wolf," he told the lupine.  
    "That's what you think!" roared Wolf, as he pulled his fist out of the floor. He swung his sabre, just as Fox pulled the trigger, and deflected the laser with the blade of his sabre. The lupine charged straight at Fox and swung his sabre at the fox's head, only to miss as Fox ducked underneath it. He swung a fist at Fox's muzzle, only for the fox to duck out of the way again.  
    Fox aim the laser gun at Wolf again. Well, the laser wouldn't hit him this time. Wolf quickly ran out of the way, leaping over one of the ramps that led up on to the circular dais and landing on the other side of it.  
    With just as much speed, Fox ran after him, leaping on to the ramp and nearly had the opportunity of having his legs cut off. Had he been a split second slower, Wolf's sabre would have cut straight through his legs. As it was, he had leapt over the blade and behind Wolf. He aimed his gun at Wolf's head and pulled the trigger, only to fire a laser into thin air as Wolf ducked out of the way and landed a punch to his stomach.  
    The vulpine staggered backwards, reeling from the pain. He saw Wolf charge straight at him. Fox was a split second too slow and the blade cut through his fur and into his flesh again. Though the blade itself was ice cold, the pain made it seem searingly hot to him. Another swipe at his body and the blade cut into him again, this time slashing his left arm.  
    The pain was just as disorientating as it had been for the first agonising taste of steel. He should have been used to it, though, seeing how many times he had been wounded in the Lylat War and during his time catching criminals after the mission on Dinosaur Planet. This time, the pain should only have been a numb prick, but it was agonising as if Wolf had somehow cut through into his soul.  
    Lifting his gun, Fox aimed. He did his best to ignore the pain. His vision blurred just as he pulled the trigger. He had missed and now Wolf had charged straight at him. Fox tried his best to aim again, but this time Wolf had smashed the blade of his sabre straight against the barrel of his gun, turning the gun away from Wolf just as Fox pulled the trigger. The laser went skyward. Fox pulled the trigger again, hoping that the vibration of the gun when it fired would help loosen Wolf's grip on the sabre.  
    "Die, McCloud," growled Wolf angrily.  
    "Go to Hell," retorted Fox, as he struggled to keep a hold on his gun.  
    Wolf pushed the blade of his sabre against the barrel of the gun, turning the gun out of sight. He kept the momentum of the blade going, turning the blade round until it was above his head and he brought it slicing down towards Fox. His vulpine opponent rolled out of the way. In mid-air, he turned the blade of the sabre and swung it horizontally at Fox, only to miss.  
    With a smug smile, Wolf delved into his pockets and brought out some shuriken he had taken from a SharpClaw he had met on the way up to the Krazoa Palace. He flung them at Fox with amazing accuracy for a person with only one eye. Fox ran out of the way, avoiding all of them. Wolf howled out angrily and flung the last of his shuriken straight at where he thought Fox would end up.  
    Fox yelped out in pain as the throwing star hit him in the leg. The pain made him lose his balance and he crashed to the cold, stone floor. He looked down and saw it sticking out of his leg, blood spreading through the fabric of his trousers. Quickly, he reached out and yanked the weapon out of his leg and winced in pain. Fox flung the shuriken back at Wolf, striking the lupine in the arm.  
    The yelp of pain told him that he had hit Wolf. Fox aimed his gun and fired, only for Wolf to deflect the lasers.  
"Shit!" swore Fox, as he leapt to his feet, despite the pain in his legs. He charged straight at Wolf and slid across the stone floor, sweeping his leg out in an attempt to knock the legs out from underneath the lupine.  
    That trick was far too old and Wolf saw through it. He leapt over Fox and kicked at the vulpine's head, before landing on the ground again. Wolf whirled round, flinging his cloak behind him. He held his sabre in both hands and stabbed it into the ground. He was aiming for Fox. He had missed.  
    Fox rolled back to his feet and aimed his gun. He pulled the trigger before Wolf could even react, shooting a laser straight at Wolf. It hit the lupine in the ear, elicitating a yelp from his grey-furred opponent.  
    Wolf charged straight at Fox, deflecting the few lasers that were fired at him. The rest missed him by a wide mark, a result of Fox's blood loss. The smile on Wolf's muzzle widened. He knew it would only be a matter of time before he won against his lifetime opponent. He swung his sabre at Fox's head, only for the vulpine to duck underneath it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Fox aim his gun. Wolf leapt sideways and on to the ramp that led up the dais, narrowly avoiding being shot in the chest.  
    The lupine retreated up the dais, as Fox ran after him, shooting lasers at Wolf. Each laser was dodged skilfully or deflected with the blade of his sabre. None hit their target. Wolf stopped at the edge of the hole in the centre of the circular dais and waited for Fox to approach him.  
    When Wolf rushed him, Fox was able to move quick enough this time. He avoided Wolf's robotic hand and fired a shot, this time hitting the lupine in the robotic arm. He fired repeatedly at Wolf, but all the lasers were dodged and deflected far too well. The grey-furred wolf ran full tilt at Fox, swinging his sabre horizontally in an arc at Fox's torso. Fox leapt over the sharp blade and fired, only for Wolf to duck underneath the laser.  
    Upon landing back on the stone floor, Fox whirled round and swung his gun round to face Wolf, just as Wolf swung his sabre. Their two weapons clashed together. With all his strength, Wolf swung his sabre round, pushing the gun along with it. Their arms did full circle before both their weapons were flung out of their hands.  
    The gun landed at Wolf's feet. The sabre landed at Fox's feet.  
    Neither moved to pick up their weapons. There was no flurry of movement. There was just pure stillness and silence, but in that they knew what each other was thinking. It was as if they could talk without words and each knew what the other was saying. Both fox and wolf stared at each other, motionlessly but full of emotion. They knew that one of them would die at the other's hands.  
    Like mirror images, the two of them slowly bent down to reach for the weapon at their feet. They slid their weapons across to each other with equal force and grabbed their weapons at the same time. Wolf took one gigantic swing at Fox, just as the vulpine pulled the trigger.  
    The sound of the gunshot echoed around them and rolled across the sky and back again. The sound of metal clattering against the stone floor could be heard.  
    Wolf's sabre then fell through the hole in the dais, the very same hole that Krystal would have fallen through if Fox had not been there to save her on that fateful day. Wolf clutched at his wound and glared up at Fox silently.  
"I don't believe you managed to defeat me," he growled angrily.  
    "You said it yourself, only I can kill you," retorted Fox. "Stands to reason I must be also able to defeat you without taking your life.  
    A smile spread across Wolf's grey muzzle, as if all his anger had somehow been drained from his body.  
"How true," he agreed with a nod of his furry head. "I won't let you take me in to the police, you know that, don't you?" With that, he closed his eyes and leaned backwards.  
    "No!" cried Fox, as he rushed towards Wolf, but it was too late. He knelt down and peered down the hole, the very same hole that Krystal would have fallen down if he hadn't been there to save her. The vulpine couldn't see any sign of Wolf at all.  
    As the sun rose and its golden rays began to shine, Fox began to wonder. As the rays warmed his body, he began to realise the truth. Wolf was not dead. Somehow, the lupine was still alive and one day he would reappear again.  
    If one dies, so must the other.  
    A smile spread across Fox's furry muzzle, as he thought of it.  
"Yeah, I know," he said in reply to Wolf's question. "I'll be here, waiting for you, Wolf. We'll end this someday. We'll end it someday." He rose up to his feet and put the gun away.  
    Fox stood there and turned to face the rising sun. There was nothing he nor his friends couldn't do as long as they stayed together. Even if Andross somehow found a way to come back, they'd find a way to defeat him and kill him again. Even if Wolf came back, he would be ready. Now all he had to do was enjoy his life and the blue sky above him.  
    Blue. Why blue? Then the answer came to him. There's no black and there's no white in blue. There's just blue.  
    "Life's just a dream," sighed Fox with a shake of his head, before he made his way down the stone ramp and walked across the roof of the Krazoa Palace.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

    Fox looked down at his drink, as he sat at the bar. He sighed miserably. With the destruction of the Gospel Army and the Lylat Syndicate, the Star Fox Team was now just as obsolete as it had ever been. On the plus side, he had helped prevent a virus from spreading, one that would have made everyone just like Andross. On the other hand, however, he was bored and the Team had nothing to do except looking out for hardened convicts.  
    It was back to being a bounty hunter, scouring the Lylat System for the scum of the Galaxy and handing them over to the police for rich pickings. An unstable source of income, but no more unstable than when they had been mercenaries during the Lylat War. Of course, then, they were always sure of having a job no matter what.  
    He glanced sideways to see the other people that frequented this bar, before downing the tenth pint of beer that night. 'Damn stuff's weaker than Slippy', he thought to himself, still not feeling the intoxicating effects of the alcohol.  
    "I thought I'd find you here, buddy," said a familiar voice from behind Fox, as a blue-feathered avian sat down beside him. "So, you thought you could come here and get the bounty all for yourself, huh?"  
    A smile spread across Fox's muzzle. Well, there was one thing he knew and that was that he would always have a friend.  
"Nah, you know I wouldn't have done that," he said in reply to Falco's question. He looked behind him at the bar and saw his empty glass and the several others that surrounded it. Hadn't anyone bothered to remove those? "You want me to buy something while we're waiting?"  
    For a while, Falco didn't reply. It was as if he lost in thought.  
"Yeah, you can buy me a pint," replied Falco with a nod of his head. The avian then waited a while and Fox ordered his drink. "So, is it true?"  
    "What?" asked Fox curiously.  
    "The beer, is it weaker than Slippy on tranquilisers?" asked Falco. He had heard of the Government's meddling, which had led to all alcoholic drinks being 0.0001% alcohol and 99% anything else they could chuck in there.  
    Fox exhaled deeply at the mention of it.  
"It tastes like sugar water," he told Falco, as the bartender put the avian's drink down near the avian. "Go on, try it yourself." Moments later, he found that a Peregrine Falcon sputtering was one of the most funniest things he had ever seen. "Falco, you should have seen yourself!"  
    "I'd rather not," replied Falco angrily. "Man, that stuff's vile!"  
    "Yeah, well what do you expect?" was Fox's reply. "It's all we can afford with our current budget." Still, he hoped that would change and it would if they caught this new bounty. "Still, if this goes off with success, we'll be celebrating with champagne," he told Falco. He then thought about all the repairs they had to do on the Great Fox and on the Arwings. "On seconds thoughts, we'd probably celebrate with repairs and drink ourselves silly with what's left."  
    Out of the corner of his eye, Fox thought he saw someone familiar. Wolf O'Donnell? He turned round and then frowned. Perhaps it was just his imagination, after all, he did see Wolf fall down the hole in the roof of the Krazoa Palace. Even if Wolf was alive, it would take some long time of recovery before the lupine could even rear his furry head again.  
    "Something wrong, Fox?" asked Falco concernedly.  
    "Nah," replied Fox with a shake of his head. "I thought I saw someone I recognised, but I guess I was just imagining things."  
    Falco didn't say a thing in reply to Fox's comment, which was unusual. Normally, Falco would always have some kind of wise-ass comment to crack. Not this time.  
"Fox, I think I've spotted our meal ticket," he said slyly.  
    "Cullum?" exclaimed Fox, as he turned round. He spotted a hawk not too far away. That was definitely Cullum, wanted on several accounts of robbery. "Oh yeah, that's him." Fox licked his chops at the thought of how much money they were going to get from arresting this one guy. "Let's go!" He didn't get very far, however, before a large, burly bear suddenly got in front of him.  
    Hey, you!" cried the burly bear, as he approached them. He was large, and dwarfed the tallest of the Star Fox Team by half a metre. "You two are bounty hunters, aren't you?"  
    "Yeah and what of it, pal?" asked Falco hot-headedly. He gulped, as he saw the ursine advance, rolling up his sleeves as he got closer to the avian.  
    "Bounty hunters aren't welcome here," growled the bear, as he clenched a fist. "Now get out of here or else!" A grin spread across his muzzle, as several other patrons joined him.  
    "Oh, shit," exclaimed Fox, as he saw that the escape route was blocked. This was bad. This was very bad and Fox didn't know what to do. He had never been outnumbered like this before. Never had he been outnumbered by civilians that wanted to beat the crap out of him. The vulpine ducked underneath a fist and then followed by an uppercut to his opponent's chin. The next blow smashed into his opponent's stomach, sending the opponent flying backwards into the other patrons.  
    A fist smacked into the side of Fox's head. Everything went black.  


    When Krystal heard what had happened, she thought it had been rather silly of him, especially seeing as the hospital bills would surely make it difficult for them to pay for repairs on the Great Fox.  
    Armed to the teeth with a 'Get well' card, flowers and a basket full of gifts, Krystal rounded the corner and stopped. Right opposite her was Fara, equally fortified with 'Get well' gifts for Fox.  
"You," she said, her eyes narrowing.  
    Neither of them moved. They just stood there, glaring at each other as if they were cowboys getting ready for a showdown at noon. Sparks of pure rage flew through the air. The atmosphere was so thick with tension not even a stick of dynamite could help you break through it. Things were going to get ugly and anyone caught in the crossfire would surely wish they had never been born.  
    Falco slipped past them unnoticed and walked into Fox's hospital room.  
"I heard there was a mummy in here," he joked, as he walked up to Fox's bed and sat down in the chair beside the vulpine. He himself had come out of the bar fight with nothing more than a broken arm, but Fox was not as lucky.  
    Fox would have made a comment, but the bandages covered his mouth as well as everything else on his body. He tried to move, but he was bandaged up too tightly.  
    The blue-feathered avian leaned against the back of his chair and reached out for a mandarin that Peppy had left behind as a gift.  
"You'd be glad to hear that we managed to get Cullum," he told the vulpine, "and the reward is just enough to pay for all the hospital expenses. Krystal managed to catch her bad guy too. The reward on her guy's head was double of that Cullum's." He tried his best to peel the skin of the mandarin.  
    There was a muffled noise from Fox, but Falco couldn't make it out. It was something along the lines of 'Don't eat' something, but he wasn't quite sure what. Each segment disappeared down Falco's throat quickly, before the avian placed the peel on Fox's forehead, just to annoy the vulpine.  
"Well, I've got to be going," he told his friend. "The nurse is going to check up on me. See you later, Fox!"  
    Fox sighed, or at least, he would have if it wasn't for the bandages. He looked upwards, or attempted to look upwards, at the mandarin peel. Fox had no idea why Falco did these things. Now that he thought about it, Falco had always done these things. Oh well. What will be will be.     The vulpine closed his eyes and let himself relax. After all, he was going to be in the hospital for quite some time. Sleep began to take hold and soon Fox was dreaming and in his dream, he heard Fara and Krystal bickering again. And in this dream, he was trying his best to get away from the both of them.  
    Life is just a dream, but it's the only one we've got.

    **_Aishiteta to nageku ni wa_**
    **_Amari ni mo toki wa sugi te shimatta_**
    **_Mada kokoro no hokorobi o_**
    **_Iyasenumama kaze ga fuiteru_**
  
Translation:     _Too much time has passed by to_
    _Lament that we were deeply in love_
    _The wind keeps blowing, while my heart_
    _Cannot heal all the tears in it_

    **_Kawaita hitomi de dareka na itekure_**
  
Translation:     _Cry for me, somebody, with dry eyes._

    **_The Real Folk Blues_**
    **_Honto no kanashimi ga shiritaidake_**
    **_Doro no kawa ni sukatta_**
    **_Jinsei m warukuwanai_**
    **_Ichido kiri de owaru nara_**
  
Translation:     _The Real Folk Blues_
    _I only want to know what true sadness is_
    _Sitting in muddy water_
    _Isn't such a bad life_
    _If it ends after the first time..._

**_The End._**

You've answered the question correctly! It was Wolf's left eye that could see into the future, because Wolf's left eye was cybernetic and thus was far superior to the other eye, being able to see things much quicker than his right.  
P.S. the lyrics featured near the end of this epilogue are from Yoko Kanno's _The Real Folk Blues_. In fact, if you look carefully, you'll see that all of the chapter titles are named after songs by Yoko Kanno (with the exception of _Ballad of Fallen Angels_ and _Real Indication_).

Well, I hope you enjoyed the fanfic. That's all for now. This is truly the end. It was an honour to have you read my fanfic. *bows*


End file.
